


Bad Girls Club

by Joley123



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Lesbian AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2020-06-22 05:59:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19661266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joley123/pseuds/Joley123
Summary: Los Angeles' new program, the Juvenile Female Rehabilitation Program (JFRP) was created with the purpose of taking at-risk girls in the county and send them to a summer-long program located where a sleepaway camp once stood. There, they will take classes in ethics, behavior, and other courses to help mold these young minds. Brooke Lynn and Vanessa have been sent there for wildly different reasons, but with the same result - a clean permanent record. Being roomed together, the pair might find an unlikely alliance (and maybe more) in each other.





	1. Chapter 1

“Hytes.” The woman’s beady eyes scanned the list over her reading glasses. “Room 208.” She used her pen to point down the hall before walking off to direct the next girl that walked through the door.

Brooke Lynn had only walked about six feet before she heard a room down the hall blasting Rihanna. She looked up when she’d reached the source. 208. Fantastic. Not that she had anything against the singer, but it was eight in the morning and she just was not in the mood to deal with it. Her first instinct was to storm in and shut the music off, but then she remembered where she was.

Most, if not all, of the girls here had some sort of criminal record – she doubted her situation was a common one, being a first-time offender being promised no more than a slap on the wrist once all was said and done. And she knew why – she was rich, white, had a well-connected family… This must have been what Martha Stewart felt like when she went to prison, she mused. Her hand hovered over the doorknob. Should she knock? This was her room too, after all. Besides, whoever was in there probably wouldn’t hear it over the music, so she let herself in, the door shutting behind her.

The room itself was maybe a square foot or two larger than a college dorm, comfortable, but far from roomy and accommodating. It had been re-purposed from the sleepaway camp that preceded it, and it did manage to maintain a woodsy aesthetic. Everything was clean, almost too clean – as if they weren’t supposed to touch anything. Though her roommate’s side already seemed well-lived in, as Brooke noticed when she finally allowed herself to look over towards her.

On the right side of the room, the other inhabitant hadn’t even looked up when she’d walked in. When Brooke’s gaze drifted towards her, she stopped in her tracks. She had wavy, chestnut-brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail, bronze skin that even _looked_ soft to the touch, and as she painted her nails, her tongue was pressed between her lips – soft lips that made Brooke wonder what they’d feel like if—

The music cut off in the middle of ‘Disturbia.’ “Are you my roommate or do you work here?” the girl asked, yanking Brooke from her silent assessment.

“Roommate.” Brooke blushed and moved with her luggage to the other side of the room. “My name’s Brooke Lynn,” she introduced.

“Vanessa. Miss Vanjie if you’re nasty,” she laughed at herself before blowing on her nails and admiring her handiwork. Once done, she sat upright and looked her over. “You lost or something? I think cheer camp’s down the road.” Despite her comments, there wasn’t any malice in her tone.

Brooke looked down, rubbing her arm awkwardly. “No, no. I’ve been… Sentenced to charm school instead of ‘conventional punishment’ just like you, more or less.” She had no idea what Vanessa was actually in for, but the absolute nonchalant attitude she had made it clear that she wasn’t the same anxious, uncertain, ‘just slipped up’ type.

Vanessa snorted in laughter. “For what? Some white people shit like…” She was drawing a blank. “Tax evasion?”

Brooke covered her mouth as she giggled. “No, no, nothing like that.” She looked down, fiddling with her hair. “A guy kept hitting on my friend at work. When she finally outright rejected him, he got her fired. So… I slashed his tires.” She didn’t regret what she had done, but everyone from her parents to teachers acted like she had lost her mind whenever she told the story.

But not Vanessa. No, she was _smiling_ at her, nodding her head in approval. “Shit, that’s pretty badass for someone that looks like Elle Woods,” she mused.

“Hey, Elle Woods is badass!” Brooke retorted. “But…thanks, I think. What about you – what sort of wild felony did you commit that makes you such an authority?”

Vanessa rolled her eyes and lay back down. “I got busted with a quarter ounce and a fake.” Before Brooke could ask, she clarified, “Weed and a fake ID. But I’m a ‘repeat offender’ and ‘general nuisance’,” she huffed, irritated. It wasn’t her fault – it was just how she liked to have fun. She wasn’t hurting anyone.

“And now we’re here. The great equalizer of the system,” Brooke mused as she started to unpack.

“Yo, don’t pretend for a second like the system treats us equal just ‘cause we roommates, got it? You can’t pretend they gonna look at us and treat us the same. We can sit and kiki and braid each other’s hair or whatever, but you know damn well we going home to two real different lives.” Vanessa had rolled onto her side as she spoke, bearing a piercing glare that contrasted her relaxed position.

Brooke stared at the ground and cleared her throat. “You’re absolutely right, and I’m sorry.” So much for making a good first impression she thought, and silently went back to moving her clothes into their respective drawers.

After a deep, reluctant sigh, Vanessa got up and sat next to Brooke instead. “It’s okay. I don’t want us to get off on a bad start. There’s gonna be a lot of crazy bitches in this program, might be nice to have someone in your corner, you know?”

Still a bit red in the face, Brooke Lynn faced her, tucking a few blonde strands behind her ear. “I couldn’t agree more.” A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she felt a weight lift off of her chest. “Allies?” She extended her hand out.

Vanessa chuckled and shook her hand. “Sure, allies.” She tilted her head, studying Brooke’s hand for a moment. “You got short nails,” she remarked. “Is that a personal preference or—”

“Yes, I’m a lesbian, Vanessa,” Brooke laughed softly.

“Duly noted.”

### 

It was the first night at the JFRP, and all two hundred girls had been funneled into the mess hall for dinner. This room was the most obvious remainder of the site’s days as a sleepaway camp, leaving it just endearing enough to make them forget where they were, if only for a meal. Brooke Lynn had just taken her plate of uniformly unappetizing dinner and searched aimlessly for a seat. There didn’t seem to be a spot for her to sit in.

Vanessa noticed this and, after going back and forth for a moment, took pity on her. “Yo, roomie, over here!” The smile and relief on the blonde’s face was just enough to keep her from regretting the decision.

The other girls, her friend, A’keria and two other girls – Yvie and Scarlet – if she remembered correctly, at the table had hardly acknowledged Brooke directly, rather exclusively to each other through unsubtle whispering – mostly speculation that Vanessa was only tolerating Brooke’s presence because ‘she looked like a Barbie doll’ and ‘hey, if she’s flexible enough…’

“Would all of y’all shut the fuck up? Crazy asses.” Vanessa had whirled around to snap at them, glaring pointedly.

Yvie’s brow rose and a smirk hit her lips. “Thou doth protest too much,” she chided.

“Don’t even care enough to ask what you mean.” She rolled her eyes.

“What’s going on?” Brooke asked, looking up from her tray and towards the other four girls, having been fading in and out of paying attention.

Vanessa turned, angling herself between Brooke and the other girls to intercept. “Nothing, they just being stupid, don’t pay them bitches no mind,” she assured, spending the rest of the meal making sure the two conversations didn’t overlap.

Luck was with her, as they got through dinner without Brooke Lynn catching on to the adjacent gossip. But whatever luck she had immediately dissipated when they returned to their room. Vanessa’s bed was stripped bare and there was a note taped to the frame. Apparently, there had been reports of mold on the beds and each of them were inspected during dinner. While Brooke hadn’t been affected, she was stuck without a bed for the night. “This is bullshit,” she muttered. “What the fuck am I supposed to do now?”

“You can share with me,” Brooke offered with a shrug and a small smile. “I know it’s a little tight, but I don’t mind if you don’t.” In fact, she _really_ didn’t mind, but she swore it was coming from a kind place and not a sexual one.

And Vanessa wasn’t sure how to make heads or tails of it either – but she sure as hell wasn’t about to sleep on the floor. “You sure? ‘Cause that does sound like the best option here,” she admitted, sitting down on the unaffected bed.

“Of course, it’s the least I could do.” Brooke got up and grabbed her toothbrush and pajamas. “I’ll be right back,” she said and went down the hall to the bathroom.

It had only taken Vanessa a minute to get changed, leaving her alone on Brooke’s bed, which in and of itself didn’t mean anything, but the temptation to snoop was starting to grow. A little peek couldn’t hurt, right? All she took was a quick look through the top drawer – just enough for her to be impressed by the fact that Brooke appeared to own half of a Victoria’s Secret catalog. She had thought she’d spotted something else as well, but she heard footsteps down the hall and slammed the drawer shut, avoiding getting caught by the skin of her teeth.

Brooke got under the covers after she set her belongings down. “I’m gonna turn in now, just make yourself comfortable.” She rolled over and closed her eyes.

### 

Despite having fallen asleep facing the wall, Brooke had awoken to find herself spooning Vanessa from behind, her face buried into her thick mane that smelled faintly of vanilla and cinnamon. Her smaller body felt so warm and soft against her own and god, if she could only just lay there a little longer…

The default iPhone alarm had just become Brooke’s least favorite sound in the world. Having to untangle herself from a barely awake Vanessa caused her damn near real pain. “Class is in an hour,” she mumbled to her bed companion as she pushed herself to a sitting position and rubbed her eyes.

Vanessa rolled onto her stomach and groaned into the pillow. “Shouldn’t have to wake up at eight in the fucking morning in the summer,” she muttered.

“This _is_ still a punishment,” Brooke reminded her as she carefully navigated around her to get out of bed and dress for the day.

Vanessa rolled her eyes as she pulled herself together. “This _is_ still a punishment,” she mocked under her breath as she ran a brush through her hair. She threw her bag over her shoulder and shoved her hands into her pockets before they walked – not together, but in tandem – to the main building.

In front of the building were a few tables, milk crates full of paper bags on each of them. ‘Breakfast’ was written in marker and taped to the front of each crate and each girl took a bag as they went inside.

There were about ten minutes of just chatting while eating their single-serve packages of cereal and dubiously ripe oranges. The teacher had entered in the midst of breakfast, and even when everyone had settled down, there was an air of confusion around her presence.

Considering the circumstances, everyone had expected someone gruff and serious – maybe a cop or a warden or something. Instead, they had a tall, cheerful woman that stepped right out of a Disney cartoon.

“Good morning, ladies. My name is Ms. West and I’ll be your behavioral modification instructor for the duration of this program,” she greeted and wrote her name on the board. “I will say, I am surprised to see some familiar faces here, but no matter, you’re all equal in my eyes.”

Brooke sunk into her seat, wishing now more than ever that she was anywhere but in this classroom. She dropped her gaze to the desk, pointedly avoiding eye contact with the teacher.

Vanessa, sitting a row over, waved her hand to get Brooke’s attention and mouthed ‘what’s wrong?’

‘Nothing,’ Brooke mouthed, shaking her head and then huddling herself over the syllabus when it made its way down the line to her.

The rest of the introductory class had gone in one ear and out the other. Brooke Lynn’s mind felt cloudy, as if it’d slipped into a sea of fog that filled up her head and only threatened to escape through the mist in her eyes. Her cheeks burned red, fueled by the rapid beating of her heart. This was the last thing she had wanted, the one thing she didn’t have any sort of plan for.

“I’m surprised to see you here, Brooke Lynn,” Nina said when she started towards the exit. “This isn’t your scene at all, what happened?”

“I messed up.” She shrugged and put her hands on her hips. “I did something I wasn’t supposed to, and now I’m paying the price.” She sighed and looked down. “Please don’t let this get out back home, I’ve been keeping it a secret.”

Nina nodded. “I’ve never broken a promise to you before,” she assured, then tilted her head. “You should get going, your friend’s waiting for you.” She used her head to gesture back towards the rows of desks.

Brooke’s brows knit forward before she turned around and saw Vanessa lingering, sitting up on one of the desks and swinging her legs. “Oh, yeah… Come on, Vanjie. We should go.” She pressed her lips into a fine line and briskly walked out of the class, inadvertently making it difficult for the shorter girl to catch up.

“Okay, now will you tell me what the fuck is going on?” Vanessa asked, out of breath.

“Nina – Ms. West – is a teacher at the school I go to. And it’s…well, it’s the type of school you probably think I go to.” She chuckled dryly. “She’s like a mentor to me, I really respect her. I feel like I’m letting her down by being here, and gossip spreads so fast…”

“But you aren’t here ‘cause of some stupid shit. You’re here for standing up for your friend. I bet that’d get you a lot of street cred in whatever fancy-ass private school you go to,” Vanessa offered with a soft smile.

Brooke sighed and shook her head. “It doesn’t work like that. Where I’m from, ‘street cred’ is a mark against you. You have to be as close to the norm as possible. Coming out caused enough drama, I don’t need this on me too,” she explained. “So, I just have to be as boring as possible.”

Vanessa let out a soft laugh. “I don’t care what you do back home, but there’s no way I’m letting you be lame here.”

“Is that a threat or a promise?”

“Guess you’ll just have to wait and see, babe.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Why am _I_ keeping watch, again?” Brooke Lynn asked in an anxious whisper, looking over her shoulder every few seconds as they walked, as if she sincerely expected someone to jump out of the bushes and catch them.

A’keria rolled her eyes. “Because you’ll take the least heat if you get caught,” she explained, murmuring to herself that letting her tag along was a bad idea and, “If Vanjie wasn’t so horny, we wouldn’t be stuck with her…”

“Both of you shut up, we’re almost there,” Vanessa snapped, the group of five pushing forward until they reached their destination.

Under the moonlight, the lake was beautifully illuminated, bringing a calm, picturesque frame around it. At the right angle, it could’ve been the stock image for a postcard. And it was quiet – a drastic contrast from every other moment of the program – only the sound of crickets and frogs filled the air. Truly, it felt like the only good and pure location they could reach for miles.

Then the girls began stripping and ‘pure’ was promptly removed from the descriptors. That had been the plan – sneak out after dinner for a late-night skinny dip, an act of rebellion both towards the program and the societal constraints that led them there in the first place. It was a moment to be fun and free – they would be damned if they didn’t jump on the chance.

“Hey Vanj, do you think the water’s clean? I bet it’s full of—Vanj? Vanjie?” Yvie made a couple of attempts to get the other girl’s attention, waving her hand in front of her face, before realizing why she didn’t stand a chance.

As soon as Brooke Lynn started undressing, Vanessa was a goner. Her gaze instantly fixated on the statuesque silhouette, watching the way the moonlight bounced off her porcelain skin, the way her toned muscles flexed as she moved. It almost felt too good to be true to be able to get to see her naked like this, so open and exposed.

“Would you like a bucket for your drool?” Scarlet teased, bumping shoulders with Vanessa and bringing her back to Earth, reluctant as she may be.

Vanessa rolled her eyes and shoved her away. “Eat me, bitch.”

“Uh-uh, you’ve got the wrong white girl.” She smirked before following Yvie and A’keria down the dock, a blissfully oblivious Brooke Lynn following the three of them with Vanessa on their tails.

Splash after splash, each girl descended into the freezing lake water, all of them doing their best not to squeal at the jarring temperature change. They all swam to the edge, giggling and catching their breath. 

“Why does swimming naked feel so good anyway? Like, I feel like that’s objectively weird, but it’s nice,” Brooke mused, propping her arms up on the grass and looking back towards the main grounds.

“Freedom,” Vanessa offered as an answer. “We got full control of our bodies, choices, it’s like sticking it to the man and shit." 

The other girls nodded in agreement. “That’s so profound, Vanjie.” Yvie toed the line of sincerity. “But we better wrap this up fast if we wanna escape with our lives.” And with that, they all pushed themselves out of the water and towards the pile of their clothes. The fabric clung to their wet bodies, but nobody seemed to mind, still reveling in the experiences all the way back to their respective rooms.

“You know,” Brooke started as she changed into her pajamas. “I felt like I got a lot closer to everyone. It felt like a summer camp moment.” She smiled as she towel-dried her still damp hair. “Is that lame?”

Vanessa chuckled fondly. “Nah, that’s sweet. Don’t tell no one I said that though,” she told her as she got into bed. Honestly, she kind of loved that cheesy holding hands around the campfire bonding she was talking about. “You feeling less boring now, at least?”

Brooke Lynn beamed proudly as she tucked herself in. “I do! And I’m gonna help you too next time. You know, with getting authority figures on your side.”

“We make a good team.” She hummed sleepily before her eyes shut.

### 

_“I’ve seen you staring at me, Vanjie,” Brooke Lynn cooed as she sauntered towards her. “You like what you see, baby?” She had Vanessa trapped on the bed, hovering over her with a wide smirk._

__

__

_And Vanessa was helpless, frozen with no desire to move. She gazed up at Brooke with wide eyes, her heart racing. “Yes” was all she had managed to get out before Brooke’s lips were on her neck, hands roaming up and down her body. She shuddered as her smooth, slender fingers trailed down her torso until they hooked into the waistband of her pajama shorts, starting to tug them down and—_

That _fucking_ alarm. Vanessa groaned into her pillow, her arm flapping around blindly until it landed on her phone to shut it off. It was as bad a punishment as everything else in this goddamn program. She rolled onto her back reluctantly and noticed that Brooke Lynn wasn’t even in the room, let alone her bed. And, considering the wetness that had pooled between her thighs overnight, she was more than a little relieved.

“Oh good, you’re up,” Brooke chirped as she returned to the room – hair in a high ponytail and dressed in a sweat-stained tank top and shorts. “I just went for a jog. I would’ve invited you, but you looked so cute and peaceful.” She hummed as she got changed. Truth be told, she would have been far too distracted to get any actual exercise in had Vanessa accompanied her. Being around Vanessa in general was distracting if she thought about it – not that she would ever allow herself to.

Vanessa put on her most convincingly nonchalant smile as she swung her legs over to dangle off the side of the bed, toes just grazing the wooden floor. “Yeah, set my alarm like you been telling me, thank god.” She confirmed as she did her hair. “Did you do any of the assignments for today?” she asked offhandedly – anything to distract herself from that dream.

“I did and you can copy whatever you need to.” Brooke shrugged.“Yeah? You don’t have some sort of fuckin’… moral issue with it or whatever?” Vanessa asked with a laugh as they headed towards the other building.

Brooke shook her head. “Listen, I know we’re all here for the same reason, to stay out of trouble. No one gives a fuck if we actually learn anything as long as we don’t make any fuss,” she explained. “Everyone cheats to get ahead in private schools. Better grades get bigger grants, it’s the name of the game, babe.” Not leaving room for a rebuttal, she made her way into the classroom with her breakfast bag in hand.

Vanessa had to consciously close her mouth as she stared after Brooke Lynn. She blinked rapidly and pattered after her. Was that side of her there the whole time? Suffice it to say, more than her interest was piqued.

### 

“How have you been holding up, honey?” Nina asked as Brooke perched herself on her desk. “I can only imagine this has been a bit of a roller coaster for you.”

Brooke laughed dryly, staring off in front of her. Roller coaster was one way of putting it, sure, but a tornado might be more accurate. “That’s one way of putting it.” She sighed, then looked towards her. “Can I ask you something?” After the teacher nodded, she continued. “How do you feel about summer flings?”

“Why, what have you heard?” Nina’s eyes darted back and forth anxiously.

While Brooke did often confide in Nina, the opportunity to deflect and distract was just too good to pass up. “Oh my god, do you have a crush on someone? _Here_? Who? You _have_ to tell me,” she insisted, bouncing excitedly. 

Nina, of course, instantly regretted jumping to conclusions. In retrospect, it was glaringly obvious that the student had come to her to discuss her own matters of the heart. Great. Fantastic. Well, there was nothing else she could do but bite the bullet and confess. “Your home ec teacher, Monét. I don’t know how or why it happened but… Well, I guess it started over a group discussion over how we were going to structure our classes, and we both got mad about how some of the people in charge were talking about you guys. She’s _so_ passionate about making sure you guys still get to be teenagers, it’s so sweet.”

This was thrilling for Brooke Lynn. Some high schoolers might find it weird or gross to know about their teachers’ love lives. There was always that moment when a teacher would come to class visibly pregnant and after the excitement died down, the class was left with the thought of someone fucking them raw. But she didn’t see Nina as a teacher, or any authority figure, really. She was more of an older sister or cousin, a friend with more life experience. So, to find out she was going through such a similar issue? It was nearly too perfect. 

“That’s so cute, I’m gonna die. Does she know? Does she like you?”

“Oh, I regret this already.” Nina chuckled dryly and hid her face in her hands. “You know I have no idea when someone’s flirting with me, Brooke. I have no idea.” She lamented before bolting upright. “But don’t you dare try to meddle in this shit.” Her eyes narrowed at Brooke, trying her best to look stern and serious towards someone that was physically incapable of being intimidated by her.

Brooke Lynn gave an exaggerated roll of the eyes. “Fine, fine, I’ll be good. I promise.” She raised her hand to swear and hopped off the desk. “I’ll get out of your hair. I promised Vanessa I’d teach her how to skip stones by the lake during rec time anyway.”

Nina cocked her head to the side curiously. “Mateo? Your roommate?” She leaned forward. “Is that, perchance, who you were going to ask me about in regards to a summer fling?”

“Hey, don’t try to deflect onto me.” Brooke laughed despite how red her cheeks had turned. “Good luck with your teacher crush!” she called out, already halfway out the door.

### 

“On Ms. Monét? Deadass?” Vanessa asked as she and Brooke Lynn walked towards the lake. Occasionally their hands would brush against each other, but they would always stop just shy of letting their fingers interlace. “That’s fuckin’ wild. You know, she and A’keria been real buddy-buddy, I could have her put in a good word if—”

“Don’t you dare!” Brooke laughed. “She’ll lose her shit if she finds out I told you, let alone have it spread around,” she explained, stopping when they reached their destination. “It feels different in the daytime, doesn’t it?”It was the same lake that they had all been naked in the night before, but it may as well have been another body of water entirely. It was still serene, but it had a vibrant hue and warmth that retreated into the shadows when the sun went down. Now, it’d feel wrong to interrupt that scene with nudity – not that either would be opposed to watching the other strip down in better lighting.

Brooke Lynn crouched down, picked up a smooth stone, and walked towards the edge, stopping about a foot before the land meets the sea and waited for Vanessa to join her. She handed her the rock with a smile. “I want you to give it a try on your own first,” she instructed, taking a few cautious steps back.

Vanessa hurled the stone into the water like it’d just catcalled her from across the street. It didn’t skip, instead crashing into the water with a splash. Even though she doubted that she did it right, she still turned to Brooke with a toothy grin. “How was that?”

“Angry,” she answered, giggling softly. “Like the lake owes you money.” It took a couple of moments to procure another stone that could get the job done, and Brooke placed it gingerly in her hand. “Okay, I’m going to get you in the right position.”

And Vanessa was about to make some sort of sexual innuendo, but then Brooke got behind her and wrapped her arms around her like the pottery scene in Ghost and words were suddenly unnecessary. She felt her hand move from her shoulder to her wrist, placing her arm just so. Vanessa bit her lip – Brooke’s body was pressed right against her from behind, the taller girl manipulating her stance and sending her heartbeat into overdrive.

Was it actually necessary for Brooke to be all up on her like that? No, but she wasn’t about to point that out any time soon. “Perfect.” She took a step to the side. “Try it now.”

To her pleasant surprise, Vanessa got the stone to skip four times before it was submerged under water. “I did it!” Her face lit up with excitement. She turned to Brooke, eyes wide and sparkling with joy. “That was so fucking cool!”

Brooke’s smile reached her eyes as she watched Vanessa bubble over with enthusiasm. “God, you’re so adorable.”

“Huh?”

“I said… I think I heard the bell. We better head back inside.”

### 

It was just past one in the morning and Brooke Lynn was wide awake, staring silently at the ceiling. She couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was preventing her from sleeping but avoiding talking about her growing feelings for the girl in the bed five feet from was probably playing a role in it. And normally she avoided staring at her for long, but her brows furrowed, and she rolled onto her side when she heard Vanessa mumbling because she _swore_ , she heard her name somewhere in the otherwise unintelligible noises.

Vanessa lay with her head pushed back into her pillows and her back curved up, though being under her blanket it wasn’t fully visible. That was necessary, as she was doing more than just arching her back under the covers. Her hand was hidden inside her shorts, two fingers pressed against her clit and rubbing in increasingly fervent circles. The other hand moved up under her tank top, groping her breasts and tweaking her nipples, anything to get any more stimulation. Her eyes fluttered shut, letting her imagination take over and her hands do all the work.

For the most part, Vanessa was biting down on her lip, but whenever they parted, soft, breathy moans escaped. But that wasn’t all – when she tilted her head towards the wall, “Fuck, Brooke…” slipped out in a whimper. It devolved back to heavy breathing as her fingers moved down, pressing into her pussy as she only continued to work herself into a frenzy.

Brooke’s eyes shot wide as she flopped onto her back, feeling a blush spread across her face and down her chest. There was little room for misinterpretation – Vanessa was getting off and thinking of her. Her mind went wild with curiosity – was this the first time it happened? Or the more pressing question – what specifically was she imagining? She was hit with the intense desire to run over and act out whatever fantasy was eliciting those pretty moans from Vanessa.

Vanessa pushed her face into her pillows when she found it more difficult to stay quiet. Her hand left her breasts, allowing her to focus on pumping two fingers in and out, bucking into her own touch, chasing the sensation. Her hips started to jerk unsteadily and her teeth gnashing at the pillowcase just to keep herself quiet. And within a few minutes, she was still and silent. Her breathing evened out and she was out cold.

God, if Brooke was having trouble sleeping before, it would be impossible now. It didn’t seem real – maybe she was delirious from lack of sleep. Or maybe she was projecting, some wishful thinking perhaps. Either way, she was left with a hot, throbbing sensation that wasn’t about to go away any time soon.

“Fuck it,” she muttered, hand going into her pajama bottoms and eyes closing. Feelings could wait until the morning, she needed this now. 


	3. Chapter 3

“So, you just straight up laid there and listened to her get off while thinking of you? And she still has no idea?” When Yvie said it back to her, Brooke Lynn supposed she could understand why it seemed so strange. It was as embarrassing as she feared it would be, if she were being honest.

“Well, what was I supposed to do?” was her defense. Brooke shoved her hands into the pockets of her shorts and huffed. “Hop in bed with her and see what happens?”

Yvie stared at her incredulously. “Yes, stupid.” With an exaggerated eyeroll, she continued. “You guys probably won’t ever see each other again. There’s literally no downside to fucking her… if you’re not worried about catching feelings, that is.”

Brooke’s cheeks flushed red and her eyes pointedly avoided the other’s face. What she wanted to say would be something along the lines of ‘of _course_ I’m not going to catch feelings,’ but her mouth refused to adhere to that lie, only allowing her to squeak out an “I’m not!” Shit, she couldn’t even convince herself with that one. “Is that what’s going on with you and Scarlet?”

“Scarlet and I have been together for six months. Which you would know if you listened to me when I told you instead of making heart eyes at Vanjie every thirty seconds. Christ, it’s like you think if you stop looking at her, she’s gonna disappear.”

If she had been that obvious, though, why hadn’t Vanessa said anything to her? Was she intentionally playing dumb or had she sincerely missed what was apparently clear as day to Yvie? She must have been exaggerating, that was the only explanation. Sure, Brooke could get lost in Vanessa’s warm eyes and melt at her sweet smile. And yes, maybe her heart skipped a beat every time they touched. And maybe every time she caught sight of her in a state of undress, the overwhelming desire to pin her to the nearest surface crept up on her.

Okay, maybe Yvie was on to something.

“It doesn’t matter, this sort of thing is playing with fire. If things go south, we’re still sharing a room together until the end of the program,” Brooke explained after a moment. She didn’t have time to get caught up in feelings – that was what she always told herself. Even if she admitted her attraction to her roommate, it didn’t mean anything would come of it. Besides, if it wasn’t for what had happened the other night, she wouldn’t even picture herself as Vanessa’s type.

Again, she was getting a dumbfounded look from Yvie. “You really are stupid.”

### 

With Brooke Lynn outside with Yvie, Vanessa and A’keria had the room to themselves. They were both sat on Vanessa’s bed while she did her friend’s hair into cornrows. “And like, I know she know, but she too polite to say it, you feel me?”

“In her defense, how the fuck do you bring that up to someone without lookin’ like a full creep?” A’keria scrolled aimlessly through her phone as she sat cross-legged and upright. “Everyone’s just waiting for the pin to drop with y’all.”

Vanessa furrowed her brow as she finished the first tight braid. “What you mean? We’re both hot, yeah. I’d wanna see us fuck too if I wasn’t us,” she mused, shrugging it off.

“What’re you waiting for then? She been lookin’ at you like a cat in heat for days.” She winced as Vanessa yanked at her hair. “Don’t act like I’m wrong – just let her get at your kitty and we can all move on with our lives.” Another sharp pain and yelp. “Ow! I stand by it though. Y’all as bad as Ms. West and Monét.”

This gave her pause. “Wait, how do you know about that?” She did recall Brooke Lynn mentioning their closeness, but she had warmed up to the idea that it had been their secret.

A’keria shrugged. “I’m more astute than you give me credit for.” She didn’t need to see Vanessa’s face to know she had that confused expression loosely resembling a gassy infant. “Anyway, maybe that’s something y’all could bond over – being matchmakers or whatever.”

“Well, shit.” Vanessa exhaled with a dry laugh. “Might be the smartest thing you’ve ever said, Kiki.”

### 

While gossip was commonplace within Brooke Lynn’s community, actually weaseling into it to change the next chapter was beyond her realm of understanding. But that’s what Vanessa did best, she supposed – she brought a new prospective with her on even the most mundane of situations. 

And it was one of her favorite things about her – she had grown to love hearing her go off on borderline nonsensical tangents because she was so damn passionate and excited about every thought that popped into her head. It was like she was a wind-up doll and Brooke had developed an affinity for turning the crank.

“This is your last chance to bail, blondie,” Vanessa remarked when they were just feet away from the home economics room.

Brooke let out a deep breath and shook her head. “No, no I’m good. Let’s do this.” Cautiously, they walked into the room. She watched from behind the closet while Vanessa made her way to the desk on the far side of the room.

But just as Vanessa placed the sealed envelope on the desk, they heard the distinct sound of high heels clacking down the empty hallway. “Shit, hide!” she whispered in a panic as she watched Brooke duck into the closet. Not knowing what else to do, she dove in after her, leaving her sandwiched between her body and the door.

Vanessa had, in the past, dealt with minor bouts of claustrophobia, but that wasn’t what had her face flushed and heart pounding now. The four-by-four closet would normally be enough to comfortably fit two thin teenagers, but they were competing with boxes upon boxes of supplies and left with no way to avoid touching each other.

It wasn’t easy for her to stand there and keep her legs from shaking. She could feel Brooke’s breath hit the back of her neck. The familiar, sweet citrus scent of her shampoo filled her nose. It was hardly moments until her head was spinning and Brooke had clouded her mind. “Your knee’s in my crotch,” was what she decided to whisper instead of, perhaps, literally anything within the realm of flirtation. Though she did shift and inadvertently rub against her thigh in the process, a soft gasp slipping out and a hand promptly being clamped over her mouth.

“Deal with it or we’re _fucked_ ,” Brooke whispered sharply, lips grazing the shell of her ear as she spoke. While picking up on the hints Vanessa had been dropping thus far – aside from the one that she still held as a secret – hadn’t been her forte, ignoring that response was impossible. 

She knew she was playing with fire, but the adrenaline pulsing through her combined with their unresolved sexual tension propelled her forward. Her lips traveled up and down Vanessa’s neck, leaving soft, slow kisses in her wake. Her hand grazed her breast – seemingly by accident at first – only to purposefully grope it the second time.

And Vanessa reacted just as she anticipated. She bit down on her lip and started to writhe against Brooke’s thigh. Part of her wanted to remind the other girl what was at stake, but that part was easily quieted by her body begging for more. Every touch and kiss lit another spark of desire inside her and it showed in the way she ground herself into her, craving what little friction she could get.

While Vanessa was successfully distracted, Brooke noticed the sound of the door opening and closing and the same heels walking back down the hall. Her hand started to reach for the handle but stopped short – she had no idea if she would ever be able to work up the courage to do this again, to get that same uninhibited surge of adrenaline that subdued her fear of consequences. So, she pushed her leg up, bare skin pressed against the soft cotton of her shorts.

“Fuck…” Vanessa exhaled in a whisper before biting down on her lip to keep herself quiet. Her body was trembling, and her face was on fire. In any other circumstances she would have been mortified – she was beyond humping a pretty girl’s thigh like a bitch in heat, wasn’t she? But Brooke Lynn was into it – she could tell from how tight the other girl held on to her, the fervor in how she groped her, the heat in the kisses she left along her skin.

Brooke kept her own body pressed up against Vanessa – she wanted to feel every twitch of her body, to know just how desperate she was. It was unclear how much time had passed, but before she knew it, Vanessa was jerking erratically, her back curving up and breath hitching in her throat. Then, everything was still, and they stood in silence for a moment before she reached her arm out from behind her and opened the door. She smoothed out her shorts that still didn’t cover much of her thighs and watched in mild amusement as Vanessa haphazardly tried to get her hair back in its original style.

Forgoing the next part of their matchmaking plans temporarily, the two of them left the room. The walk back to their room was silent and devoid of eye contact. They were both red-faced and disheveled, but actively refusing to acknowledge it. Unlike the previous incident, this couldn’t be ignored forever.

But, in a subtle movement, they finished the walk holding hands – perhaps all hope was not lost.

### 

“Wow, is that a French braid?” Monét asked with casual interest as she made her way around the classroom. “That’s a new look for you.”

“Your girlfriend do it for you?” A’keria chided.

Vanessa huffed and elbowed her friend in the side. “How many times I gotta tell you Brooke ain’t my girlfriend? We just friends.” It’s not that she hadn’t considered it over the past few weeks, especially with their supply closet rendezvous, but that was for her to figure out on her own.

Monét scoffed and shook her head. “Oh please. Vanessa, stop pretending Brooke Lynn’s your friend, we all know that she _loooove_ you.” That elicited a few laughs from the rest of the group, as well as Scarlet shaking A’keria while mouthing ‘I told you so’.

Vanessa bristled and rolled her eyes. “Yeah?” Her voice was high and strained. “Where’d you hear that from? Ms. West?”

The teacher was taken aback by her pointed tone. “Girl, you better watch it,” she warned, though she remained lighthearted. With that, she kept moving to the next set of pushed-together desks.

On the other side of the room, Brooke Lynn was trying – and failing – to be subtle with her eavesdropping. “I heard my name, shut up,” she defended as she felt the judgmental gazes of the rest of her group burning a hole through her head.

“You are the textbook example of the ‘useless lesbian’ trope. I just want you to understand that.” Yvie’s remark fell on deaf ears as Brooke continued to unsuccessfully try to pick up on the conversation across the room. So, she just shook her head and continued on with their work.

Once class ended, Vanessa waited by the door for Brooke – the daily habit that didn’t exactly help the ‘not girlfriends’ argument. Still, they made their way to the dining hall for lunch as if everything was normal.

Brooke looked around to find an empty table. “Let’s go eat by the lake.”

“Don't mind the chance of people talking?”

“You talk more than anyone and I don’t mind you.”

Vanessa giggled and looked down. “A’ight, let’s go.”

By the time they had finished setting up their meals a few feet from the water, it felt like their own little picnic. Well, if picnics consisted of stale pizza, limp carrot sticks, chips, and water. And yet neither of them would have traded any part of that moment for the world.

“We need to talk about what happened.” Brooke Lynn looked out at the lake as she spoke, knowing she would chicken out the second her eyes met Vanessa’s.

Vanessa was looking at the grass anyway, eyes trained on each individual blade in her field of vision. Just because she was right didn’t mean they had to do it, she thought. This wasn’t even like her – normally she was ready to put her heart on the line at the drop of a dime, being the type to wear her heart on her sleeve. She couldn’t explain why Brooke Lynn was so different from every girl she had ever dated or slept with – aside from the obvious social class. 

“How d’you even label what happened?” she asked with a weak laugh. “Two horny bitches got hyped on adrenaline and fucked around in a closet?”

The mood lightened, but the girls still kept a cautious distance. “That is what happened, yes…” After what felt like ages, Brooke turned to face her. She gingerly placed her hand on Vanessa’s knee and waited for her to look up. “But where do we go from here? If we keep trying to ignore whatever’s going on here, things are going to get very awkward very fast.”

“What do _you_ wanna do?” Vanessa didn’t want to answer her question first, in fear that she may come on too strong and expedite the awkwardness they were already trying to avoid. Besides, Brooke was articulate and chose her words carefully – it was simply the better choice to pawn it off on her as far as she was concerned.

Brooke shifted closer to her and cupped her face with one hand. “I am very attracted to you, Vanessa. I’m pretty sure everyone on campus has figured that much out. And I think… we did things a little out of order, and we should at least start there.”

“Out of order?”

“I gave you an orgasm in a broom closet and we haven’t even kissed.”

They were both able to laugh at that, and suddenly the air around them felt less heavy – they could both exhale for a moment. “So, you gonna kiss me now?” Vanessa arched her brow and looked at her expectantly.

“Kind of ruining the moment, babe.” Brooke pulled Vanessa onto her lap. “But yes.”

The kiss was nothing like the heated, passionate moment they had shared a couple days before. It was tender, affectionate. Brooke could taste the strawberry flavored lip gloss on her lips, and she could feel how the sun had gently warmed her skin. She lost herself in the picture-perfect moment, and Vanessa was just as swept up in the embrace.

Neither of them wanted it to, but the kiss did come to an end. Vanessa’s fingers were still tangled through Brooke’s hair, and Brooke’s arms were still looped around her waist. A few more kisses followed that – both of them were pretty sure they could have spent the rest of the afternoon kissing and cuddling in utter contentedness.

At the end of the day, the label of their relationship was no clearer than it had been at the start. Feelings were complicated and the quasi-date on the lake only scratched the surface – much to the chagrin of Vanessa. But this was the start of something – a summer fling, a budding adolescent romance – all either of them knew was that whatever they had would be kept under wraps – lest they face a myriad of ‘I told you so’s’ from everyone around them. 


	4. Chapter 4

“So, what’s the tea with you guys now?” A’keria asked. “Y’all official?”

Brooke Lynn tilted her head, sat casually on the grass with Vanessa on her lap, an arm thrown around her waist. “What makes you say that?”

Vanessa couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes. “Brooke Lynn don’t wanna do no labels,” she explained and tossed her hair off her shoulder, leading Brooke to start kissing up the back of her neck – which made her smile in spite of herself.

“We decided not to over-complicate things, you know? Just gonna have summer fun and relax.” Brooke clarified to save face. She knew how bad the ‘no labels’ style could look, how it could come off as selfish or avoidant, and she wanted to reassure Vanessa that the lack of a label didn’t imply a lack of interest.

“And that’s what you want too, Vanjie?”

Vanessa offered a tight-lipped smile and a nod and leaned into Brooke’s touch when she squeezed her waist. She wasn’t about to ruin the mood with caught feelings – she had an image to maintain. She was tough, a badass. Badasses don’t get crushes, especially not on girls that actually know what a ‘regatta’ is. And she knew she wasn’t convincing A’keria, but as long as Brooke Lynn bought it, she could get through each day.

### 

Nighttime on campus was peaceful enough for the girls to forget where they were as they drifted off to sleep. The moonlight shone into the rooms and the walls were just thin enough for the nature surrounding them to act as white noise instead of a disruption. Everything was perfectly calm and still.

Except for Brooke Lynn.

It had taken a bit of tossing and turning, of uncomfortable shifting, until she finally decided to act on the urges that had been building inside of her for far too long. She got out of her bed and into Vanessa’s, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl’s waist and kissing at her neck.

“Mm? Brooke?” Vanessa yawned, stirring from her sleep. She couldn’t see anything in the darkness, but the familiar feeling of Brooke’s body pressed against her was enough to focus her into reality and send a rush of heat between her thighs.

“Sorry for waking you, baby girl.” Brooke pushed Vanessa’s hair out of the way, granting herself better access to the smooth expanse of skin that she didn’t hesitate to litter with kisses and small hickies. Was it a risk? Sure, but knowing she would wake up to see all the marks she had left to stake her claim was well worth it. “I just can’t sleep and you’re over here looking so beautiful…”

With sleepiness still in her voice, Vanessa chuckled softly. “You don’t gotta convince me. Been waiting for this.” She pressed her body closer until they were as sandwiched together as they had been in the supply closet. “Just don’t make me hump your leg like last time.”

“No, baby, I’m gonna take good care of you.” Brooke’s voice was soft, sultry, and her hands moved gently as she stripped Vanessa of her tank top and shorts. She took her time – they had all night – and her fingers caressed her skin from her clavicle to her thighs, going slower whenever she went over her breasts and ass.

Vanessa shuddered under her touch, goosebumps spreading across her skin. The gentle touch was far from enough and she let out a soft whine, wordlessly begging for more. And much to her relief, she found herself pinned under Brooke Lynn within seconds, biting down on her lip in anticipation.

Brooke straddled her lap and tossed her nightie aside. She gave Vanessa a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, unable to fight off a smirk as she let her hands run up her torso and grope her breasts. But she could only allow it for a few moments before she had to kiss her, cupping her face and capturing her lips in a passionate embrace. Their naked bodies were pressed together, heat radiating from their skin, never enough to deter them.

 _Oh my god_ , Vanessa thought. Never in her seventeen years had she been this eager to sleep with someone. Normally she liked to tease, to flirt, to leave girls wanting more. But she had waited an entire month for Brooke Lynn, and her patience (or perhaps lack thereof) was about to be rewarded. She watched as the taller girl moved down her body – sucking at her pulse point, nipping at her collarbone, sucking her nipples and grazing them with her teeth – it was impossible for her to be anything but a trembling puddle of whimpers and moans before she had even gotten any contact where she needed it most.

And Brooke knew exactly what she was doing the entire time. She savored Vanessa’s moans, every needy little noise that slipped out. It was as if her goal in life was nothing more than bringing pleasure to every inch of her body. Her lips traveled lower, searing hot kisses into her skin as she did. Finally – after far too long as far as Vanessa was concerned – Brooke’s tongue began lapping at her clit, circling and massaging it and letting one finger just barely enter her.

Vanessa let out a soft, needy whimper and she was almost certain it made Brooke moan too. She lay back, pressing her head into her pillow and curving her body up. In an attempt to stifle her moans, she bit down on her lip, but with the way Brooke licked and sucked on her clit, the way she curved and thrust her fingers inside her – it would have been easier to be silent during torture.

Brooke soon built up a rhythm that allowed her to move in tandem with Vanessa’s labored breathing, speeding up as she did, but speeding up further still when she felt her body tense and freeze up. Her ministrations of her fingers and tongue were with the determination of eliciting just enough noise out of her, and when she heard that sharp, uninhibited moan and felt her body relax, she backed off with a satisfied grin.

“Don’t go back to your bed.” Vanessa mumbled when she finally caught her breath. She looked down at an unsure Brooke Lynn. “Please.”

Brooke crawled back up to Vanessa and held her close, both of them falling asleep in no time.

### 

“My, my, Brooke Lynn. You’re glowing.”

Brooke blushed, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no student was hanging around to eavesdrop. But then she took a proper look at her teacher and her brows knitted, a slight smirk forming as well. “I could say the same for you. A change in the weather, perhaps?”

Nina bristled at the question, pointedly averting her eyes. “You know it isn’t right for me to kiss and tell.”

Just out of her teacher’s line of vision, Brooke clenched her fist and curled it in, much like one would do when watching one’s favorite team score in a game. She couldn’t wait to go back to the dorm and tell Vanessa.

As if she could read minds, Nina asked, “Is it Vanessa?” as soon as she entered her mind. 

It was unnerving and certainly didn’t allow for a smooth cover up. “Is it Monét?” she snapped as if she were racing against the clock to get a rebuttal out.

“Don’t think I don’t suspect your meddling.” Nina put on her ‘teacher voice’ despite knowing it would have no effect on this student.

“Um, hold up a minute, you’re _welcome_.” Brooke was smug until she noticed Nina had started to snicker under her breath. “What? What’s so funny?”

The teacher just clicked her tongue and shook her head. “You’re starting to sound like her. Brooke Lynn, you’re smitten.”

Before Brooke could get out her inevitable indignant response, there was a knock on the open door.

“Hey babe, where do you want to order—” Monét blinked and assessed the scene in front of her. “I…thought your office hours didn’t start until four.”

Brooke Lynn let out a triumphant laugh. “Don’t worry, Miss Monét, I was just about to leave. Enjoy your lunch date.” And she turned on her heel and left, almost unable to believe the utter stroke of luck that had hit her and wondering if she should buy lottery tickets once she turned eighteen.

More dubiously on the luck front, Vanessa was at the end of the hall, clearly coming back to look for her. Brooke waved her arms, signaling for her to stay in place so she could run to her. She picked the smaller girl up and spun her around. “Holy shit, Vanj, it worked!”

Vanessa was startled, confused, but mostly happy to be in Brooke’s arms like that. “Great!” There was a brief pause. “What worked?”

“The note! They’re having lunch dates now, baby. We really got to play matchmakers. How cool is that?”

“Pretty cool, gotta say.” They got outside the building, walking along the dirt path hand-in-hand. “Why do you care so much about that anyway?”

Brooke cocked her head, brows knitting in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I like them as much as, you know, someone can in this situation, but you seem so _close_ to Miss West. I know she’s your teacher back home but like, I ain’t never like no teacher that much… not that they like me either.” She sighed, staring out ahead of her. “Always too loud, too disruptive. Guess bein’ a dyke don’t help much neither but… I dunno. Maybe I’m kinda jealous. Is that lame?”

“That’s not lame,” was Brooke’s immediate response. “It really sucks that you don’t have a teacher to connect with… Shit, I guess that’s a class privilege thing too. Going to a nice private school means they can hire more teachers, smaller ratio, more qualified. There are some great teachers in public schools, I’m sure of it. But what difference does it make if you’re just another name in the system?” She offered a slight smile. “See? I’m getting better at checking my privilege, right?”

And Vanessa found such amusement in that. Not in what Brooke said, but that despite everything she had, she still wanted her approval. It made her feel like she had a real worth to her. “Yeah, you got all the woke points now,” she teased. “Nah, but I’m touched you been thinking about that. Careful, people might start thinking you care about me.”

“’Course I care about you.” Brooke’s arm looped around Vanessa’s waist as they made it to their room. The first thing she did was check her phone – as they were prohibited from leaving their room with them. “Oh shit.”

“What’s wrong, Mami?”

Brooke swallowed thickly and tossed her phone back and forth between her hands until they became too unsteady for her to do so. “My mom called.”

“And that’s… _bad_ … judging by that bulging vein in your neck,” Vanessa observed. She didn’t know what Brooke’s family life was like – as nosy as she could be, she also knew when to hold it in. But that didn’t make her any less curious. Brooke didn’t talk about her family history – she told stories, anecdotes, but nothing that truly divulged any details. Meanwhile, she was happy to talk anyone’s ear off about her mom or her siblings, about the wild antics that would erupt at any family gathering, because truth be told, it was a crucial part of her identity.

But Brooke kept that part locked away until now, where a hammer threatened to come down and bust the lock open. “She didn’t leave a message, so I don’t think anyone died. But… it’s probably not good. Not at all.”

“I’ll leave so you can talk and—” Vanessa had started towards the door when Brooke’s free hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.

“Stay. Please.”

### 

“Yo, if you’re not eating, I’mma take your snack cake.” A’keria watched as Vanessa poke her fork at her dinner with disinterest before swiping the prepackaged dessert from her tray. Once she had benefited from her friend’s gloom, she turned to concern. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

Vanessa sighed, her food pushed around the tray to give it the appearance of being eaten. Everything tasted like bland mush anyway. “I’m worried about Brooke Lynn. She was on the phone with her mom yesterday and… I don’t know what went down exactly – she was mostly listening, didn’t say much, so I’m sure as fuck it wasn’t good and now, she’s just coasting everywhere like a lazy ghost.”

A’keria listened, then spoke with a mouth still full of cake and cream. “You try talking to her about it?”

“Sometimes people don’t know how to vocalize that type of thing. You can offer to help, or just sit and listen, but you can’t take it personally if she just wants to be alone or whatever.”

This was clearly not the answer Vanessa had been hoping for, letting out a frustrated exhale. “I just wanna make her feel better.”

“Have you tried eating her pussy?”

“ _Obviously_.”

A’keria pressed her lips together. “That’s my go-to, so I dunno what else to tell you, girl.” She finished Vanessa’s dessert and crumpled up the wrapper. “You might just have to ride this one out, let it blow over. If she’s as bad with emotions as you say, that probably won’t be too long anyway.”

“Guess I don’t have a choice.” She finally choked down a few bites of food before calling it a night.

### 

Another day had gone by and Brooke Lynn still hadn’t breathed a word about the conversation with her mother, and Vanessa was not any closer to being able to sit idly by. So she waited until they lay idly together in her bed to finally touch the subject. “What happened when you spoke to your mom the other day? It looked like it really shook you up.”

Brooke sighed and it seemed as though she had been anticipating Vanessa trying to start this conversation. But that didn’t make her any more ready to have it. Her fingers aimlessly tangled through Vanessa’s wavy hair as her gaze drifted up to the ceiling. “It’s impossible to keep secrets from my mom and her friends. We’re great at keeping skeletons in closets, but gossip? That’s like crack to wine moms.” Her free hand strummed her fingers along Vanessa’s thigh as she kept stalling.

“So out with it then – what’s the grease?”

Apparently, Vanessa was immune to her attempts at deflection and distraction – something that would be impressive if it wasn’t so inconvenient. “You. Us. And my mom is _furious_.” 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Vanessa pushed herself upright. “Are you out to your family? This isn’t how they found out, is it?”

Brooke mouthed ‘no’ and sucked in a sharp breath. “It’s like… She could handle it in theory. No one has to know you have a gay daughter if your gay daughter isn’t doing gay shit.” She pushed herself to sit up as well, though she was unsteady in her movements. “But your gay daughter fooling around with female delinquent? I think she handled my dad fucking my French tutor better.”

“Your dad fucked your—”

“Not the point!” Brooke’s tone went from meek to sharp just shy of instantly. “The only reason my parents were able to handle me being here was the premise that no one would find out. I’d come home with a clean record and we all go on and act like none of this ever happened. But apparently all her fucking book club could talk about was, ‘Oh did you hear Brooke Lynn got arrested? Rumor has it she has a little prison girlfriend wherever they shipped her off to.’”

While Brooke was still ranting and raving, Vanessa had tuned out, having been distracted by a new train of thought. Brooke was planning on pretending this summer never happened? So, what would that have meant for them? Was she being set up to be tossed aside, to be used and forgotten as soon as Brooke returned to her normal life? Her head was throbbing, and her throat felt tight.

No, no tears. Not now. Both of their worlds were unraveling so fast, it was painfully dizzying. “I-I’m sorry. I gotta go.” And she nearly tripped over legs as she rushed out of the room that now felt like a box that kept her trapped like a lab rat. Nothing felt right anymore, and she felt sick to her stomach. 

She couldn’t bear to look back at Brooke Lynn in her hasty escape, that would be the only way to make this worse.


	5. Chapter 5

**[October 8th, 2017]**

Brooke had been staring at her bedroom door for over fifteen minutes now. She was trying to will her legs to work, will her arms to open the damn door. There had been weeks of anticipation – she had practiced what she was going to say in front of the mirror dozens of times every night. It was much more comfortable to perform intricate dances in front of a full auditorium.

Fuck it, this was it.

“Are you busy, Mom?” Brooke’s voice was meek as she poked her head around the corner into the living room.

The muffled noises of the television silenced. “No, come in.”

For the most part, Brooke Lynn wasn’t afraid of her mother. They generally kept to themselves unless otherwise necessary and cohabited perfectly adequately. But this? This was entirely different. It would change the entire course of her life drastically, possibly for the worse in the short term. Still, she knew she would regret it if she didn’t say it at all.

Brooke fidgeted with her fingers; eyes trained on the floor. “You know how I told you I didn’t want to go out with your friend’s son because he’s an anarchist?” She didn’t wait for her mother to respond. “He’s not. At least… not as far as I know. The truth is...” Her throat tightened, and her heart started to race. “I’m not attracted to him. Or any guy. I-I-I... I like girls. I’m gay, Mom.” 

The ticking of the clock in the otherwise silent room felt like a bomb counting down to her world collapsing around her. Brooke Lynn needed her mom to say something, anything. “Mommy?”

Her mother sighed. “I suppose this is my fault. Perhaps if you’d spent less time with your nanny, you wouldn’t have this… misplaced need for affection.”

Brooke swallowed thickly and shook her head. “This has nothing to do with Kyle. It’s just who I am. A-And I want you to still accept me.” Her eyes welled with tears and the strength to keep the dam from breaking was dissipating with every passing moment. 

“Well I don’t really have any choice but to do that now do I?” she scoffed, then added “these days they call that child abuse,” flippantly. “You’re still my daughter, Brooke Lynn. Now please be a dear and go fetch me my wine.”

“Which glass?”

“Oh no, just bring me the bottle.” 

**[Present Day]**

“No, I don’t got no fucking wine. Where d’you think I’d keep it? In a cooler with some caviar? Look, do you want the vodka or not?”

Brooke nodded and handed the girl a twenty-dollar bill. “Yes please,” she mumbled and exchanged it for a sixteen-ounce bottle of Smirnoff. Luckily it was a rare chilly evening on campus, allowing her to smuggle the bottle in her sweatshirt (while looking over her shoulder every ten seconds) all the way back to her room, everyone she passed none the wiser. 

Luckier still, the room was empty when she returned to it, allowing her to make a cocktail of vodka and fruit punch and pour the artificially red mixture into a metallic water bottle. There was a split second’s hesitation.

Having never been drunk on vodka before, Brooke Lynn didn’t know what to expect from the experience. As it turned out, it was brief euphoria and dizzy bliss followed by becoming utter comatose. It was probably for the best – to be dead to the world by the time Vanessa returned. She wasn’t ready to talk to her – she wasn’t even entirely certain why she was so upset, other than it was obviously her fault, apparently. And she felt guilty – it pained her to be the reason why her sometimes-lover was hurt.

The next morning, Vanessa was woken up by the sound of Brooke Lynn groaning. “Damn you really hungover, huh?” she observed, noting that maybe karma had laid a hand in this. “Take some Advil and get ready. You ain’t getting outta class cause you lack self-control.”

“Ugh. So mean,” Brooke grumbled and pulled the pillow over her head.

“That’s life.”

Vanessa was dressed by the time Brooke Lynn got herself out of bed. “How the hell did you get that shit in here anyway?”

Brooke rubbed her eyes as she pulled herself together. “Bought it off some girl. Said she knows a guy. And that I ask too many questions,” she recalled. “It worked though. Got me good.”

“So, you just gonna drink til you feel better?”

“That's the plan.”

**[November 20th, 2017]**

Brooke caught her breath as the front door shut behind her. “Okay, we’re in the clear,” she exhaled, waving the wine bottle around like a trophy and parading it in front of her as they walked up to Detox’s bedroom.

“You sure your mom’s not gonna notice she’s a bottle short?” Her eyes scanned the label with casual interest before setting it down on her end table while Brooke Lynn shifted to sit comfortably on the bed.

After a couple of moments of struggling, Brooke dislodged the cork from the bottle and took a swig. “Nah, it’s like taking one jellybean from the whole bag,” she reasoned. “Besides, it’s not like I took an expensive bottle, this is a _dessert_ wine.”

“So, what would you call a breakfast wine?”

“The first sign of a drinking problem.”

Detox laughed and shoved her, narrowly avoiding a wine spill on her duvet. She then snatched the bottle from Brooke to down a long swig. “She still not down with the gay thing?”

There was a wince and a moment of tensing up before Brooke sighed and lay down. “If you call ‘a mounting resentment due in part to the blow in social standing from rampant gossip mixed with casual homophobia’ not being down with the gay thing, then yes.”

“You know, just ‘yes’ would’ve sufficed,” she huffed, then her expression softened. “I’m sorry shit’s still rocky between you guys. I’m sure it’ll get better eventually. You talk to Miss West about it?”

Brooke reclaimed the wine and her finger traced around the mouth of the bottle and she stared into it, as if the answer to her problems rested at the bottom. “Yeah, but she always wants to _do_ something about it. Her heart’s in the right place but I’m not always looking for a solution. I just wanna get things off my chest sometimes.”

And her friend listened intently, nodding slowly. “Maybe you should just tell her that. Use your words like a big girl and then we can celebrate with wine instead.”

**[Present Day]**

Brooke poked her head into Nina’s classroom. “You got a minute?” She let herself in before getting verbal confirmation and sat herself at the edge of the teacher’s desk.

“I was actually hoping you’d come by sooner rather than later.” Nina confessed casually, not wanting to ambush her. But immediately, she saw the suspicion and hesitance in her student’s expression. “I know you were hungover in class. Think you’re okay to tell me why?”

And Brooke Lynn appreciated the way she never pressured her into divulging more than she was ready to. “I had...a falling out with Vanessa. I don’t know exactly what I said, but I’m sure it was my fault,” she sighed, “because it always fucking is.”

Nina reached out and squeezed her hand. “Come on, you know that’s not true,” she gently assured. “Have you talked to her about it?”

Brooke bit her lip and shook her head. “I don’t know how.”

She tugged on the teenager’s hand until they made eye contact. “Listen to me, Brooke Lynn, even though I know you don’t want to hear it.” Nina waited until she had her full attention. “You need to learn how to let your guard down, even if it’s just one baby step at a time. I know you like Vanessa a whole lot – more than you’re willing to admit, I’m sure. I’m not saying you have to put your heart on the line in some like, dramatic gesture, but I think you’d be opening yourself up to a great deal of happiness if you let yourself feel.”

As hard as it was to admit – in fact she may never do so outright – Brooke knew Nina was right. Of course, that didn’t mean anything in regards to her ability to actually follow through on that sort of thing. It just was not in her nature – it wasn’t in the nature of anyone in her family. “Maybe I can try…”

“After all, we don’t want a repeat of last time, right?”

Brooke yanked herself away abruptly, face flushing red. “Don’t… don’t talk about that,” and before Nina could respond, she turned on her heel and briskly left the classroom. The last thing she needed was to reopen old scars.

**[March 2nd, 2018]**

“You know, I’ve tolerated a lot of your weird post-outing behavior shit, but I’m not giving you a free pass on this one.” Detox clicked her tongue and shook her head. “How the _fuck_ do you have the gall to flake out on someone like Kameron Michaels?”

Brooke gave an exaggerated eyeroll and popped a couple grapes in her mouth, eating them before answering. “It wasn’t even like, an _actual_ date. Relax.”

Detox stared at her incredulously. “You guys have been all up on each other for like, almost two weeks. But as soon as she wants to go out with you, you drop off the face of the fucking earth! And I’d understand if it was pretty much anyone else but come on bitch – she can flip a straight girl in her sleep. Not a lot of public-school girls can pull that off around here.”

“Then she won’t miss me,” she shrugged flippantly, looking off into the distance instead of her eyes drifting anywhere near her friend.

“How’s convincing yourself of that going?”

“Swimmingly, thanks for asking.”

Detox scoffed and grabbed a handful of grapes from Brooke’s bowl. “You’re so full of shit,” she said with her mouth full.

Brooke responded with an indignant huff. “Maybe so. But it works.” The definition of working was undoubtedly skewed, but she lacked any desire to address it. She could take care of herself and not get hung up on a fling – or she’d keep telling herself that until she believed it.

And as it turned out, believing it had proven to be a near impossible hurdle to overcome and she was suffering the consequences of her own denial. But there was no way she was going to turn to Detox when this realization dawned on her – so she went to the only other person she knew she could trust.

“You look like you’ve had a rough week. Honestly, if you hadn’t come in, I’d have sought you out myself. I’m worried about you, Brooke Lynn.” Nina’s tone was gentle and kind, but there was a heavy layer of concern paired with it. And it was sincere – she had always made it her duty to take care of her students’ emotional health – especially the ones in the LGBTQ+ community, because she knew exactly what these frightened, wide-eyed girls were going through.

After some uncomfortable fidgeting and shifting around, Brooke nodded. “What happened was… I was seeing this girl casually – like, I thought we were just having fun, you know? Then she asked me on a date, and I said yes because it would’ve just been too rude not to. But then I bailed last minute, and I did apologize, and she said it was okay but… I just feel awful.”

To Nina’s credit, she was a naturally great listener, which, unsurprisingly, proved to be a massive strength in her career. She nodded attentively but never tried to interrupt or talk over her – it was imperative that students like Brooke Lynn saw her as someone they could freely and openly talk about their problems with. “Well, let’s start here – how _do_ you feel about her?”

The first time Brooke had gone to Nina for help, she had found it jarring – it had been the first time any adult had expressed any interest in hearing about her struggles – so of _course_ she had been keeping them all bottled up. But that day she had spent nearly two hours after the final bell rang sitting in that classroom and pouring her heart out. As much of a relief as it had been, she was left feeling nauseous the rest of that evening. Clearly, doing that with any sort of regularity has posed an issue, which is why she replied to the question with a shrug and a ‘I don’t know’ noise.

Nina didn’t buy it. “I think you _do_ know.”

Brooke sighed in the way one would expect a pouty teenager would. “I… Yeah, I guess I like her. But I know I don’t want to date her. I don’t want a girlfriend yet.”

“Do you think it’s actually because you don’t _want_ to? Or because you think you _can’t_?”

Another shrug and ‘I don’t know’ sound.

“You’ve got to work with me here, Brooke.”

This time, Brooke was at least trying her best. “It just seems like too much. I got enough going on and I feel like a relationship is just too much for me.”

“That’s a good start, you should tell her that.”

**[Present Day]**

“You might wanna make sure you look extra nice before you go into the dining hall today.”

Brooke had quickly learned to take everything Scarlet told her with a grain of salt. Still, her interest was piqued. “What, are they doing a news report or something? Some sort of circle-jerk of praise for being such good samaritans to us lot?”

Scarlet shook her head without any other reaction. “Nah, but a bunch of girls from your neck of the woods are volunteering, figured you might wanna put on a nice face in case you run into someone. Or maybe a paper bag over your head would do the trick,” she mused.

“Fuck my life,” Brooke groaned. “Wait for me?” she asked as she ducked back into her room. And yes, Scarlet was still there when she returned. “Too much?”

“Doubt it,” she hummed as they took the now familiar path from housing to the dining hall.

As luck would have it, most of the girls were college aged. It seemed like they were the kind that were doing this in lieu of a summer internship or something of the sort. Brooke was just about to get in line confidently when her tray dropped to the ground and her eyes went wide. “No fucking way.”

“Someone you know?”

There, in all her golden haired, tan, inked skin, toned bodied glory was Kameron Michaels. She looked just like Brooke remembered – give or take a new tattoo or two. And she was there as if it had been her job the whole time – serving the girls, smiling and making small talk – it was a stark contrast to the otherwise introverted personality she was once so familiar with. 

“Yeah, something like that,” she exhaled once the initial shock had settled.

Scarlet tilted her head, observing the other girl. “You seem tense. Bad blood?”

“Not bad… It’s definitely awkward, though,” Brooke explained, muttering, “Fuck, I hope Vanessa doesn’t run into her,” under her breath. 

“Too late.”

Sure enough, Vanessa had been on the line the whole time and was now face to face with Kameron. Brooke’s heart sunk to the pit of her stomach and her throat felt tight. “You know that part in a romcom where everything suddenly goes really bad really fast?”

“Of course.”

“This is it.” Her voice was high and strained. “This is definitely it.” 


	6. Chapter 6

**[June 6th, 2018]**

“Tradition or not, this shit gonna get our asses busted one of these days, and I don’t know about y’all, but I’m trynna haul ass outta this zip code as soon as I can.”

“God, who invited Captain Buzzkill?” Vanessa rolled her eyes. “You as fucked up as we are, Silk. So, shut up and grab a box.” She passed a box of snap poppers to Silky and A’keria and kept one for herself. Glancing over her shoulder, she opened hers up and took one of the small, wrapped spheres between her thumb and finger. “On three.”

In stage whispers, the three girls counted down from three before throwing the little balls at the stairs of their high school, giggling as the loud snaps filled the otherwise quiet night – well, quiet for that part of town, anyway. Despite the complaints, it was still one of their most cherished traditions, dating back to eighth grade when they set off the poppers at their middle school the night after the last day, ringing in the start of the summer.

The girls were so caught up in their celebration that they failed to notice the police officer walking up behind them until he cleared his throat to get their attention. 

“Seriously, you guys?” He pinched the bridge of his nose as the three teenagers scrambled upright in a haphazard (and fruitless) attempt to save face. “Alright, you know the drill. Davenport, Ganache, Mateo, into the car.” And they were left with no option but to comply.

While the process was always the same, the outcome varied based on multiple factors – the type of crime, the time of day, whether or not Officer Watts was fighting with his wife – but everything was added to the books, so to speak. Tonight, it just seemed like he couldn’t be bothered to do more than go through the motions, bringing each girl home and walking them to the door, so their guardians knew just where they’d been.

Vanessa was the last stop and the officer dropped her off to her mom with the repeated normalcy as any sort of scheduled custody exchange. “Say hi to Kimberly and the kids for me!” she called out as Officer Watts returned to his patrol car.

“Don’t try to buddy your way out of this, Vanessa. I’m getting real tired of this bullshit.” Her mother’s tone was as sharp as her glare, punctuated by the sound of the door slamming shut. “I see that police car come down this block more often than the ice cream truck! It’s like you’re not even trying to better yourself.”

“Better myself?” Vanessa scoffed and rolled her eyes. “What is this, _My Fair Lady_?” She calmed herself as quickly as she had snapped. “Sorry, sorry… but I promise we ain’t done nothing wrong, just hanging out.”

“Hanging out doesn’t get you brought home in a cop car. Don’t you ever stop and think about your future? How you gonna apply to college with a permanent record like that?”

The sudden silence that followed filled the room with a solemn sense of unease. Vanessa sat down on her couch and picked her dog up onto her lap. “Can we stop pretending I got a chance of going to college, Mom? We both know I’m not cut out for that.”

Her mother’s expression softened as she sat beside her on the couch. “ _Mija_ , I wish you could see the potential in yourself that I see in you.” She wrapped her arm around her and held her close. “You are not a lost cause, and I’m not giving up on you.”

**[Present Day]**

“Do you think prison’s actually like _Orange is the New Black_?” Vanessa asked, her gaze drifting from A’keria to the grass beneath her, ripping a handful of it from the ground and aimlessly scattering the blades. 

A’keria quirked her brow. “Why you worried about it? The whole point of this shit is us getting clean records, so we _don’t_ go to prison.” After a moment, she sighed and rolled her eyes. “Is this about the whole prison wife thing you think Brooke Lynn was talking about?”

Vanessa looked away as she answered. “No…” She chewed on her lip. “Not just her. You really think this shit is gonna stick? That we’re gonna go to college and get on the dean’s list or some shit? This whole thing is just so they can pass the blame onto us when we fuck up and land in jail for real.” As she finished her rant, she noticed the expression on her friend’s face. It wasn’t quite anger or sadness, but it made her chest tighten. “What?”

“I just didn’t think you, of all people, would give up on yourself.”

“I’m not!” she quickly defended. “I’m just being realistic.”

A’keria turned and cornered her into eye contact. “Are you? Or are you setting yourself up for failure on purpose, so you don’t have to get out of your comfort zone?”

Vanessa huffed and crossed her arms. “Since when are you into psycho-ana…psych-analy-a…” She gestured vaguely. “You know, dissecting my brain and shit.”

“It don’t take fuckin’ Einstein to know you’re being ridiculous. Look, I’m not saying I’m not gonna drink or smoke or do hoodrat shit after this, but we got a chance at actually having futures. And if you’re gonna sit and act like none of this ever happened when we get back home, you’re a _huge_ hypocrite for being mad at Brooke Lynn for wanting to go back to the good life she had.”

It was rare for Vanessa to be at a loss for words, but she had no way to argue what had been said. It would be a conscious choice to go back home and get in trouble again, and she would be disappointing everyone that cared about her. So, maybe she couldn’t fault Brooke for longing to escape from this situation, but it didn’t resolve how she felt about her or even in general. She lay down on the ground and stared off into space while the sun warmed her skin. “I don’t know what to say to her.”

She nodded slowly. “I knew it would come back to that. You give so much of your heart so easily, Vanjie. You set yourself up to get hurt. Hell, you might still have a shot with her if you actually stop and think about what you say instead of shooting off at the mouth.”

Vanessa pushed herself back up, shaking her head. “Nah, not with how I’ve been. She probably thinks I’m psycho now.”

A’keria shifted to her side to properly look at her. “You won’t know if you don’t talk it out. Just… Don’t slip back into your old habits.”

“What old habits?”

“Really, bitch?”

**[September 3rd, 2018]**

“Okay, the suspense is killing me, so I’ll bite. What the hell is wrong with Vanjie?”

Silky rolled her eyes before looking in Vanessa’s direction. Their friend was sat at the other end of the lunch table, pouting with her arms crossed, but also looking sincerely solemn and crestfallen. “Oh, that girl she been hooking up with all summer dropped her ass ‘cause she has a boyfriend.”

A’keria let out an exaggerated groan. “I told her. Didn’t I tell her? I said, ‘watch yourself with her, she ain’t in it for the long haul,’ right to her.” She sighed and shook her head, deciding to save the well-earned ‘I told you so’ for later. For now, she needed to be a comforting friend. “Alright, c’mere baby. It’s gonna be okay,” she soothed and wrapped an arm around her.

“She got me fucked up, man,” Vanessa’s voice trembled as she spoke. “She really went and said she ‘never felt like this before’ and now she’s gonna act like I don’t exist. Who does that shit?”

“Straight girls,” Silky chimed in, which got a small laugh out of Vanessa – much to both of her friends’ relief.

With the tension lifted – at least for the moment – Vanessa pushed herself up to her feet. “I’m not gonna stay stressing over this, okay? I’m good, fuck her and her greasy-ass boyfriend.” And with that, the school bell rang, and they were all off to class.

Silky walked with A’keria, trailing a few steps behind Vanessa. “Do you actually think she’s done stressing over this?”

“Not a chance.”

Much to their chagrin, A’keria ended up being proven right not a full three days later.

All it took was one house party with just enough alcohol and Vanessa was making out with her summer fling off in a corner. She had one hand up the back of the girl’s shirt, the other tangled through her hair – it was as if nothing had changed at all.

Until it did, ten minutes later.

“Where are you going?” Vanessa asked, not about to be left high and dry without putting up a fight. “It was just getting good,” she added with a discontented huff.

“My boyfriend’s here,” the ex answered in a calloused tone, reapplying her lipstick without looking in Vanessa’s direction. She fluffed up her hair and sauntered off, wrapping her arms around some lanky, awkward looking guy and effectively acting as though Vanessa ceased to exist.

A’keria got up to collect her friend. “This time I’m not holding back the ‘I told you so.’”

**[Present Day]**

“Are you still giving me the cold shoulder?”

Vanessa shrugged it off. “There’s a lot worse I could be giving you. Don’t push it.”

Brooke Lynn sighed and pushed herself to sit up on her bed. “Baby, I can’t fix anything if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.” She pouted and reached out to grab Vanessa’s hand, swinging it slowly.

This wasn’t fair as far as Vanessa was concerned. How was she supposed to maintain her tough resolve when Brooke was giving her puppy dog eyes and a soft, pink pout? Her weakness was being used against her – it had been at least two days of freezing her out and she had been starting to get lonely anyway. She bit down on her lip and looked down. “I’m not trynna have this heart-to-heart yet. I know you ain’t about it, so the time has to be right.”

“Then let’s not talk.” Brooke noticed Vanessa wasn’t resisting her hold anymore, so she pulled her closer and closer until the smaller girl sat on her lap. “We don’t have to talk, just let me take your mind off it for a while,” she cooed as she started to place soft, slow kisses from her shoulder all the way up to her jaw.

The temptation was undeniable and nearly every part of Vanessa’s body was urging her towards Brooke. And at first, she gave in. She straddled her lap with her arms draped around her neck. Their foreheads rested against each other, lips just barely touching before connecting in a kiss. And another one, a deeper, languid one. For a moment, she was perfectly at ease. There was no yesterday or tomorrow to weigh down her mind – there was only now and only them in a dream of their own design.

Then she woke up to the sinking feeling that this was too easy. Not every problem could be solved by kissing pretty girls, no matter how hard she may try. She pulled away, standing up. “I can’t do this right now. It ain’t even you… I just…”

“You just what?”

Vanessa was shaking her head as she backed away. “You wouldn’t understand. Sometimes it’s better to not do enough than to do too much. That’s how you end up in this shit hole.”

**[June 24th, 2019]**

It was the dead of night, a time where – in many places – everything would be quiet and calm. But this was still Los Angeles in the early days of summer, when the weather was nice without the balmy heat making the air hazy, the kind of heat that made walking feel like trudging through a thick slime.

The ability to walk quickly and move nimbly was imperative for Vanessa and A’keria – down one from their usual trio with Silky away visiting family in Mississippi. It would’ve taken a lot more than that to quash Vanessa’s plans.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me. I swear to god, if the police don’t kill you, I will. It’s like you’re trying to invent a new level of stupid shit to try to get away with and—”

“Shh!” Vanessa elbowed her in the ribs. “We’ll get away with it if you shut the fuck up.” And with that, she had effectively tuned A’keria out as they kept walking to their destination. “Alright, this is it.”

A’keria hesitated. “You sure? Cause if it ain’t—”

“It is. Now, do you want the eggs or toilet paper?” She held up a carton of eggs in one hand and a roll of toilet paper in the other, offering up both options.

After a moment of disgruntled hesitation, A’keria sighed and grabbed the toilet paper. If Vanessa wasn’t going to come to her senses, she would at least pick the lesser of two evils on her end.

Of course, when the police arrived it didn’t really matter who was throwing what – vandalism was still vandalism. But Vanessa sat upright and indignant as she was escorted into the backseat of the cop car. Just as the car was pulling away, she stole a glance out the window, at the girl who had ignited the anger in her that drove her to revenge.

She looked indifferent – mildly annoyed at most. This infuriated Vanessa to no end. “Look at her, she don’t even care. What the fuck?”

The other girl sighed with her head against the window. “Now do you see how ridiculous you’ve been? You got your ass all worked up over some bitch that don’t give two shits about you. I keep telling you it’s gonna land you in a damn mess and look where we are now. We could catch a real charge for this, V.” She took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. There was no point in them fighting on top of everything else. “Just once I wish you’d think things through before you act, channel that passion into something useful.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “Listen, I’ll take the whole rap for this. It was my fault – you tried to talk me out of it.”

A’keria shook her head with a soft smile. “Nah, they caught me red-handed too. Besides, we’re still ride-or-dies no matter how foolish you act.”

**[Present Day]**

“Hey… Vanessa, right? Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

Vanessa was undeniably caught off-guard when the hot, tattooed blonde that’d served her lunch plopped herself down beside her at the table. She blinked, taking a moment for her brain to connect to her mouth. “Um… Sure, what’s up?”

“You see that girl over there? With the blonde ponytail and the kicked puppy expression?” Kameron cocked her head in Brooke Lynn’s direction. “Every time I look at her, she’s looking at you. And I mean _looking_ at you. So, I have got to know – is something going on between you two?”

That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it? Vanessa looked down at the table for a good few moments before facing the girl who didn’t seem annoyed or jealous – just genuinely curious, which she supposed alleviated some of the anxiety the question could’ve caused. “You could say that,” was what she decided on. “But it’s complicated, you don’t want the whole backstory or nothing.”

Kameron chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Listen, I know complicated. And I know Brooke Lynn. I promise, nothing you could say about her would surprise me.”

It certainly wasn’t the response Vanessa was expecting, but it did explain the nonchalance Kameron had. “It’s not even her. I mean… it’s kind of her. But it’s me too. I got a… bad habit of getting real intense if I start to catch feelings, and she’s got this whole life to go back to, and I shouldn’t be mad at her for wanting to go back to her normal life…”

“So, what, she told you to fuck off back into the hood?”

Vanessa laughed, but it was a laugh filled with embarrassment and a hint of self-realization. “No… I just been avoiding talking to her about it since I’m, you know, real and emotional and shit, and she’s all closed off cause she’s a hornet.”

“Do you mean WASP?”

“Like it matters. It’s like we’re speaking different languages half the time anyway.”

Kameron tilted her head and pressed her lips together, going absolutely silent. In actuality, it wasn’t more than a minute or so, but with Vanessa unconsciously holding her breath, it felt like ages. “What if I go talk to her for you? You know, serve as a middleman or something.”

“Oh, no that’s not a— oh, okay, you already going. You ain’t even listening to me.” She hid her head in her arms on the table. “Well fuck me, I guess.” It wasn’t like the situation could get any more awkward, she figured.

Meanwhile, Kameron seemed as cheerful as she had been while serving food when she perched herself across from Brooke Lynn at the otherwise empty lunch table. “Long time no see, huh?”


	7. Chapter 7

“So, how have you been?”

It was the most innocuous question possible, but Brooke Lynn already felt like she was in an interrogation room – the kind where the only light came from a lamp that was being shone in her face. Her hands were clammy, and her gaze fixated on the table. The pounding in her chest coupled with a ringing in her ears and made it near impossible to think straight. “Good enough,” she answered with no idea if it was actually her voice.

Kameron gave a short nod of understanding. “Maybe not the best question to ask, all things considered,” she conceded. “But I couldn’t leave without catching up with you, and maybe a few other things…”

“I’m not having sex with you.”

She quirked her brow before laughing and shaking her head. “No, no, that ship has sailed. I’m much more interested in whatever’s going on between you and that little firecracker you were staring at the whole time. This is new for you and I’m intrigued.”

Brooke flushed a deep red, swallowing thickly and clearing her throat. “Why are you so interested in my love life? I figured you of all people would be the last to want to meddle.” In this camp alone, she could think of at least three more obvious suspects for that sort of thing.

Kameron shrugged. “My shift ended, and I have an hour to kill, might as well make you squirm. Besides, I meant it when I said you and I are cool – just because you’re used to everyone lying and being passive aggressive doesn’t mean I’m looped into that.”

And she had a point – realizing that some people actually do mean what they say was an important life lesson Brooke Lynn had been taking away from her time here. It had been jarring at first, how blunt everyone could be, but she had come to appreciate the fact that, nine times out of ten, she knew exactly what she was getting into with someone. Sure, growing up in an emotionally repressed environment made her more intuitive, but at the cost of constantly questioning where she actually stood with people. “So, what, you’re gonna mediate some sort of therapy session between us?”

“Oh, good idea!”

“Wait, no—” But she was already being dragged across the dining hall.

Then Kameron got a hold of Vanessa’s wrist with her free hand and suddenly they were both being escorted outside without anyone around them giving it a second thought. This allowed her to take the girls outside, sitting in a patch of grass. “Okay, ladies! Couples’ therapy is in session.”

“ _Couples_?” Both girls questioned in unison.

“Situationship therapy isn’t as catchy, work with me,” she rolled her eyes. “Now, tell Dr. Michaels what the trouble is.”

“Hey, I wanna see your medical license!” Vanessa could feel Kameron’s glare burning a hole into the side of her head, and – despite the fact it did make Brooke laugh – she gave in. “Fine, fine,” she sighed dramatically. “I took it personally when Brooke Lynn said she wanted to forget this place and go back to her normal life because it felt like I don’t mean nothing to her. Can I go now?”

“That’s not how therapy works. Sit,” Kameron reprimanded and watched Vanessa sit with crossed arms and furrowed brows, finding her defiant pout almost amusing.

Brooke Lynn, on the other hand, was far less amused. “ _That’s_ what this was about? My family life is strained to the breaking point, my future has been dangling in the balance, I have no fucking idea what sort of hell on earth I could be facing when I go back to school, and you made all of that about _yourself_?” She was seething, vitriol shooting off every word. It was hard to avoid tripping over herself as she scrambled to her feet. “This is beyond playing Dr. Phil, Kameron. This is… I don’t know what the fuck this is, other than fucking insane.” Turning on her heel, she all but sprinted off.

Vanessa was quick on her feet despite the sudden panic that sunk her heart into the pit of her stomach. “Brooke! Brooke Lynn, wait! Let me explain!” she shouted, running as fast as her short legs would carry her across the wide expanse of grass.

Even though Kameron suddenly found herself left in the dust, she was unfazed. She nodded observantly, brows knitting together. “Guess ‘marriage counselor’ is off the potential career list,” she decided, brushing herself off and returning to the dining hall. The other girls from her group had asked about her disappearance with marginal interest but accepted ‘just needed some air’ at face value.

Meanwhile, Brooke Lynn had made it nearly a quarter mile down the camp’s nature trail before Vanessa caught up to her. Sure, she could have pushed it further, but despite her fury, she knew she couldn’t outrun the inevitable confrontation forever. They did still share a room, after all – and it was way too far into the summer to try to change that. She whirled around, making the other girl skid to a halt, dirt kicking up at her heels. “Fine. Talk,” Brooke snapped.

There was a brief moment where Vanessa forgot all she had to say, but as soon as she began, the words flowed out. “Look, I know I always be walkin’ around like I’m the shit and all that. And I don’t really suffer from no low self-esteem or whatever, but I know I’m not smart, I know I probably won’t ever amount to nothing. So when someone like you, someone so fucking far out of my league… when whatever we had started… I don’t know, I felt special.” She looked away and sniffled, a wave of humiliation hitting her as she forced herself to come to terms with what had been building up inside of her over the past few weeks. “Then you started talking about going home and it was the reality check I was afraid of. Guess I was mad at you ‘cause I was mad at myself or something.”

Brooke Lynn didn’t know what she was expecting Vanessa to say – she had learned early on in their relationship that anticipating anything that came out of her mouth was essentially impossible – but that confession had caught her completely off guard. There was an emotional self-awareness that blew her away. She was sure A’keria had helped her get there, but that didn’t lessen how impressed she was. But at the same time, her heart broke for her – those insecurities were real and raw and spoke volumes about who Vanessa was. Yes, she was still frustrated, but it was hard to stay angry at her, leaving her quiet as she took it all in.

“You probably hate me now, huh?”

The brokenness in Vanessa’s voice hit her again. Brooke shook her head, shoving her hands into the pockets of her shorts. “I could never hate you. I just don’t have it in me.” She exhaled deeply, looking up at the bright, sunny sky. It almost mocked them with how perfectly cheery it was, like the sun had no right to shine that bright when their hearts felt so dark and heavy. “And for what it’s worth, you don’t give yourself nearly enough credit. You are the very definition of special, Vanessa.” There was a brief pause before she followed up with, “I meant that as a compliment, not shade.”

Vanessa managed a soft laugh, pushing the hair out of her eyes, even if her gaze was fixed squarely on the ground. “I know what you meant,” she assured and let out a deep sigh. When her mom would say that sort of thing to her, she could never fully shake the sense that there was a hint of obligation – your mom has to tell you you’re special, right? But when Brooke said it, it felt real and made her feel special. “So, where we at now?”

That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it? Brooke Lynn hesitated, chewing on her lip. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Meet me at the lake after dinner, we’ll see how we feel then.” The lake had grown to have a sentimental meaning for them – if there were any spot to determine their fate, that had to be it.

“We’ll see how we feel,” Vanessa echoed and turned to make the walk back to the dining hall. It felt like such a long trek when she wasn’t chasing after someone.

### 

“It kind of sounds like you’ve got your course of action figured out,” Nina mused observantly. “What are you looking for me to tell you, exactly?”

Brooke shrugged, tugging at the strings hanging off the frayed ends of her denim shorts. “I just wish I knew how to figure out what I feel. I’m used to everything being clear cut. Vanessa is just… She’s so… I’ve never met anyone like her before. And no one has ever made me feel like this before.”

Her teacher let out a good-natured laugh and shook her head. “I swear, it’s like you forget that you’re seventeen. You’re experiencing a lot of firsts, that’s what being a teenager is all about. I think meeting someone like Vanessa is good for you, and no matter what your relationship ends up being, I think you’ll have grown for it.”

“That doesn’t make this any easier.” She kicked her legs and whined. “This is tonight, I need to bring an answer or I’m gonna look like an asshole.”

“You’re overthinking things again, Brooke,” Nina gently pointed out. “All you need to do is speak from the heart and the rest will follow.” At the end of the day, she knew the teen wanted an impossible solution that wrapped up her story in a neat bow. While she was flattered by her unwavering faith, she just couldn’t seem to drive home the reality of the situation.

Brooke rolled her eyes dramatically and laid back on the desk. “God, that’s so lame. Does Monét like that sort of cheesy shit?” Deflecting to their relationship seemed to be a go-to for both herself and Vanessa when they didn’t want to be faced with the reality of their circumstances.

It was most likely due to the fact that it always garnered the same reaction – the teachers would recoil and blush. They would stammer and lose their train of thought and give the flustered teens a moment to recuperate.

Unfortunately for Brooke, Nina seemed unfazed this time around. In fact, she smirked. “Actually, she does,” she grinned. “And do you know why I know that? Because we talk and communicate our feelings like human beings. You should try it.”

“You didn’t have to come for me like that,” Brooke mumbled. Nina must have picked that up from Monét, she thought and momentarily regretted her matchmaking decision. 

### 

A’keria looked at Vanessa with pursed lips and furrowed brows. She pensively cocked her head to the side, and it took much longer than her friend would have liked before she started talking. “You’re a hot fucking mess, you know that, right? You both are.”

“Maybe so.” Vanessa clicked her tongue. “But that doesn’t answer my question, bitch. What the fuck am I s’posed to do at the lake?”

The eyeroll she received in response wasn’t helpful, but it wasn’t unexpected either. “Have you ever solved a romantic problem by yourself? When you gonna realize that there ain’t no one that can tell you how to feel about Brooke Lynn. That’s between you and her.”

Vanessa pouted and crossed her arms, actively looking down and away from her. “Look, you know damn well I ain’t never gonna meet another girl like her… Maybe that’s for the best. But I don’t wanna fuck this shit up. I’ll never forgive myself if I do.”

A’keria sighed, her expression softening. She wrapped her arm around the smaller girl and squeezed her shoulder. “Vanjie, even if it is the worst-case scenario – you guys don’t work out and don’t see each other again – life goes on. Your heart will heal, and you’ll find another girl worthy of all the love you’ve got to give and will welcome it with open arms.”

Deep in her heart, Vanessa knew there was truth in her friend’s words. She had healed her broken heart before, life had gone on. Even with that, however, she couldn’t let go of the idea that this would be her ‘one that got away,’ the ‘what if’ that she would look back on with a sense of longing when she was old and gray. But she didn’t have the words to convey that sense of fear. “I guess so.”

It wasn’t an especially convincing statement, but A’keria knew when to stop pushing. She gave her a hug from the side before letting go and standing up. “Come on, let’s get a snack or something. Can’t have romantic revelations on an empty stomach, right?”

### 

The lake was as serene as ever when Vanessa and Brooke Lynn approached it. Crickets were chirping, the water was still, the full moon illuminated the picturesque scene. It was just the neutral environment that they needed for this conversation.

They sat down cross-legged and faced each other. It took what felt like ages (but in reality, was less than a minute) before either of them spoke, but Vanessa was the one to break the silence.

“I thought I’d know what to say when I got here, but I still don’t know shit,” she confessed. “All I know is I’m tired of fighting with you and worrying about everything I do. I don’t care if I’m not good enough for you – one of the first things you said to me was that we’re equal here.”

Brooke Lynn shook her head. “I don’t want you to think you not being good enough is the issue. I’m not better than you because of where I come from, or at all.” She reached out and took her hands. “Why don’t we just make the most of the time we have together?”

Vanessa didn’t need clarification when it came to that. She moved closer until she was sat on Brooke’s lap, her arms draped around her neck and their lips connecting in a tender kiss. That was all they needed, it seemed, for all their worries and fears to melt away.

Brooke’s arms wrapped around Vanessa’s waist and held her close as the kiss deepened. After a moment, she slipped her hand under her shirt, pushing it up inch by inch before she pulled it over her head and tossed it aside. “God, you’re so fucking beautiful,” she breathed out.

“And you not half bad yourself,” Vanessa smirked, trailing kisses along her jaw and down her neck, until her lips latched onto her pulse point and left a hickey in its wake. If the moan Brooke let out was any clue, that was the right spot, leading her to pay extra attention to the dark, purple mark that was forming, only breaking contact to take her shirt off as well.

They didn’t talk much after that – instead, there was an eager, haphazard mess of limbs as they tried to undress each other as quickly as they could manage, each article of clothing landing somewhere in the grass.

When they were naked, Vanessa pinned Brooke to the ground, a mischievous smirk on her lips. Normally, she would have submitted control to the blonde, but she wanted to channel everything she had been feeling over the past few days into the perfect, lustful expression. She trailed her lips down her body, not leaving an inch of skin untouched.

While Vanessa’s hand moved between Brooke Lynn’s thighs, her mouth moved to both of her breasts, massaging her nipples with her tongue and savoring the moans it elicited. She started with her hand by pressing her thumb to her clit, rubbing in small circles while she slowly kissed down to her lower abdomen.

“Turn around, baby. I wanna take care of you too,” Brooke insisted, and – despite Vanessa’s original plan – she had her hands bracing on her hips in a matter of seconds. She didn’t wait for her to start before she traced her tongue in a line down her slit before wiggling it inside.

“Fuck…” Vanessa exhaled softly, momentarily distracted before she gathered herself enough to reciprocate. She had a firm grip on Brooke’s thighs, fingernails digging into her flesh as she licked and sucked on her clit with a fervor that was reserved exclusively for her.

Vanessa’s skill and enthusiasm had a clear effect on Brooke Lynn. Her body twitched and trembled under her touch, causing her own ministrations to be erratic and fierce. She was the first to come, too, moaning out despite how stifled it was.

Even though she couldn’t hear it clearly, Vanessa knew when she had gotten Brooke off, paying extra attention to work her through her orgasm. It wasn’t until she was certain she was spent before she shifted to just riding her face, clasping her hand over her mouth in a vain attempt at keeping quiet – the last thing they needed was to wake up an adult.

Brooke was able to focus all of her attention on eating Vanessa out as soon as she was able to move her body as she needed to, her hands roaming the expanse of her thighs and torso while she refused to come up for air.

“O-Oh god, fuck, _fuck_ , Brooke!” Staying quiet proved to be too difficult of a task when Vanessa approached her climax. She bit down on her lip, whimpering and whining as she rode it out.

When Vanessa had calmed down from her orgasmic high, Brooke scooped her up in her arms and held her close. They lay in relative silence – their breathing still audibly heavy – and basked in the warmth of each other’s bodies.

Maybe this did clear the fog of confused emotions that had incessantly followed them, or maybe it threw a wrench into things. All either of them knew was that there was nowhere in the world they’d rather be than in each other’s arms.


	8. Chapter 8

Brooke Lynn furrowed her brows when she woke up. Why was her bed smaller than usual? But then her eyes adjusted, and she realized Vanessa was sound asleep and nestled into her side. Ah yes, the limited space was well worth it. As it turned out, she had become quite accustomed to being confined to narrow spaces with the smaller girl, and it always worked in her favor. “You know what I just realized?”

Vanessa yawned and pushed the mess of hair off her face. “Hmm?”

“One of my fondest memories of our time here takes place in a supply closet. Can you imagine trying to explain that to someone?”

She laughed softly and buried her face into the crook of Brooke’s neck. “Ain’t no one gonna find out though.”

And sure, it would always be their little secret, but Brooke couldn’t help but picture the look on a classmate’s face if she confessed to her summertime endeavors. In an odd way, she was proud that she would be going home a changed girl, a well-rounded version of herself that no amount of voluntary extracurriculars would have ever been able to match. She had expected to awkwardly fly under the radar for the duration of the program - no confrontation, just keeping her head down and getting the job done. 

“I don’t think there’s anything I could tell anyone that they would believe anyway.”

Vanessa snorted. “They’re gonna ask if you got shanked or tattooed or some shit, huh? They’ll be looking for a lil teardrop under your eye.” She poked her face where the tattoo would be, then kissed the spot of unmarked skin.

Brooke Lynn rolled her eyes and squeezed her lightly. “Baby, they don’t think I went to prison. Most of them don’t even know what the real story is, they think I’m a counselor at a camp for underprivileged youths.”

“ _I’m_ an underprivileged youth, it’s kinda true!”

And a lot of the girls in the program were in situations almost identical to Vanessa’s, or even worse. While Brooke had expected to be an outlier on campus, she could have never prepared herself for the stories she heard - abuse, neglect, poverty - and half the time the storyteller wouldn’t even bat an eye, in fact they sometimes appreciated the fact that she would sit and listen without insulting them. Or even worse, pity them. 

Brooke sat up and pulled her hair into a ponytail. “I think that’s what I wanna do now, though. Like, I’ve always known how privileged I am, but actually having something to compare my life to really changes things, you know?”

Vanessa rolled to lay flat on her back, shifting her legs to trap Brooke between them. “Normally when I hear your type talk about trying to help my type out, it’s full of that bullshit white warrior complex.”

“White savior.”

“Whatever, same thing,” she huffed. “We’ve had rich white people come to the hood, click their tongues all ‘oh, poor baby’ like, maybe buy us lunch or a pair of sneakers, and walk away patting theyselves on their backs like they did us such a big favor. I seen the way you talk to the other girls, you actually give a fuck.” 

Vanessa hated being patronized - though the actual word wouldn’t come to mind. There were times when wealthy folks would wander into the ‘bad part of town’ where she lived and just gawk at them like they were visiting the zoo. Sure, she would take the free meal if she were bored or hungry, but that didn’t mean she actually appreciated it. 

But she appreciated Brooke, not just for seeing her humanity but seeing her as an equal. She knew it was something she should be able to expect from anyone, but that was unrealistic (not that anything about their current situation would sound especially realistic to an outsider). It was what made their relationship feel like more than just sex - they connected on some sort of deeper level that she had the unyielding desire to cling to. 

And yet she had to put it in jeopardy one more time. “I need to tell you something. You know how I told you I got sent here over something dumb?”

Brooke’s brows knitted as she tried to recall. “It was like… weed and a fake ID, right?” 

“That’s the story.” Vanessa looked down and sighed. “And it did happen a lot, but I got sent here ‘cause I was seeing this girl that actually had a boyfriend but kept jerking me around, so I TP’ed her house and hooked A’keria into it.” She spoke fast, just barely coherent, because the sooner she ripped off the bandage the better. “Just didn’t wanna seem crazy from day one.”

To Vanessa’s surprise, there wasn’t much of a reaction from Brooke. She shrugged, nonplussed. “That’s not so bad.” Her arms looped back around her waist and pulled her close. “I thought you were gonna say you tried to stab her or something.” 

Vanessa elbowed her playfully. “You think I’m someone that could cut a bitch?”

“Baby, don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to.”

### 

Waiting for report cards was making the crowd of girls shift and bounce in anxious anticipation. They whispered to each other, speculating about their final grades and what it meant for their respective futures. The dining hall was full and the air was heavy with tension, as if everyone were holding their breath. 

“Last names A through H come to the front to get your report cards.”

Brooke Lynn took a deep, unsteady breath as she got up and made her way towards the front of the hall. 

“What are _you_ nervous about?” A’keria asked, walking in time with her. “You know you’re gonna get a fuckin’…. quadruple A+.”

“I don’t _know_ anything,” she retorted in a harsh whisper. 

Bouncing on her heels as the secretary sorted through the cards and gave A’keria hers first, Brooke Lynn’s nerves didn’t quell for a moment. Grading wasn’t straightforward like it was at school - in fact, she didn’t actually know what the criteria was, even Nina wouldn’t give her a clear answer. 

Once back at the table, both Scarlet and A’keria opened their cards first, both earning an impressive A-. “I told you they grade on a curve,” Scarlet laughed. “Open yours, Brookie, you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“She’s just trying to be humble,” Yvie chimed in. 

“It’s not like that, I swear,” Brooke insisted, cheeks tinting red. “I just don’t know how this shit works, okay?” But she did give in and opened the envelope and, without turning the page, simply said “Okay, it’s fine, let’s move on.”

“Nah, lemme see, boo.” Vanessa snatched the paper from her before the blonde had a chance to object. “Shit, Yvie was right, you just trying to spare our feelings or whatever.” She laughed, then clarified to the others, “A perfect score, no fucking surprise,” but then her expression changed and her demeanor quieted. “What, uh, happens if we don’t pass?”

Brooke Lynn shook her head and wrapped an arm around her. “You don’t even need to worry about that,” she assured, “you only need a C to pass. You can get a C, right?”

“I got 34 of ‘em, but then I take my bra off,” she couldn’t get any more of her concerns out before last names I through P were called and she had to march to her fate in a walk that seemed to take forever, and receiving the envelope only sent her heart racing into overdrive. 

And she wasn’t feeling any relief by the time she returned to her seat, setting the envelope on the table in front of her and just staring at it. It almost seemed to mock her with its completely unassuming form.

“It’s not gonna go away just because you ain’t touching it,” A’keria pointed out. 

Perhaps more reassuringly, Brooke kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly. “You got this, I know you do.” 

Vanessa whined softly and hid against Brooke for another moment before finally accepting the inevitable. She stared at the page in unmoving silence for a beat, chewing on her lip.

“ _Well_?”

Everyone’s eyes were trained on Vanessa, curiosity - and possibly concern - building as they watched her sit like a statue. 

Then, with a sudden burst of emotion, she popped up with wide eyes. “I got a B!” she shrieked. With her voice loud and distinct by default, it was almost unsurprising that someone from another part of the hall shouted “Congrats, Vanessa!” in response. 

But it didn’t even register to Vanessa. She had immediately thrown her arms around Brooke and hugged her close. Whether she would admit it or not, she was pretty sure she would not have achieved the same level of success without someone like Brooke, who knew how to study, what teachers wanted to hear, it was like having a set of cheat codes to education.

“Guess it’s really all over now, huh? Kinda wish they gave us yearbooks to sign or some shit,” A’keria mused when the excitement had died down. “What’s gonna happen with you two?” she gestured between Brooke Lynn and Vanessa. 

The two girls untangled from each other and sat upright. “We’re still working out the details,” Brooke explained, rubbing the back of her neck. “But we’re optimistic.”

Optimism was all they had as everything was coming to an end. While they hadn’t officially labeled their relationship, they were optimistic that they could continue to have one. It would be complicated, it’d take effort, and they were both bound to face social repercussions one way or another. But they were optimistic it would be worth it. 

And that was one of the many reasons they allowed themselves to relax and enjoy the end-of-summer celebration. 

It was nothing extravagant – mainly pizza and snacks with music that consisted of an iPhone hooked up to a speaker. Still, it was a sign of good will and the teachers had organized it. Well, Nina and Monét did the vast majority of the work, but everyone else signed off on it.

“You know, I’m going to miss our lesbian den mothers,” Yvie remarked, glancing over at the two teachers who were watching the party with proud grins and linked arms. “I still can’t believe you guys hooked the two of them up.” 

“Shit, me neither,” Brooke Lynn chuckled. There was no doubt that she would be bringing it up regularly once they were back at school. 

“You’re lucky you get to see Ms. West at school, I don’t think anyone else has someone like that back home.”

She smiled fondly, even if the statement was bittersweet. “You’re right,” it was one of the few times she would admit as much. “Don’t know if I’d have gotten through this without her,” her gaze shifted to scan the scattering of girls dancing and mingling before settling. “Don’t know if I’d have gotten _her_.”

She swore there was something almost ethereal about Vanessa. The way the sun bounced off her skin, the way her wavy hair flowed, the way she could stand both elegantly but bursting with energy - she was special, and it made her feel at ease to know she wasn’t losing her. 

“Here we go again," Yvie chuckled. "You really fell hook, line, and sinker for that crazy bitch, huh?” she asked, amused.

“Couldn’t have stopped myself if I tried.” Which she had, at least at first.

Not a minute later, Vanessa abandoned her conversation with A’keria and made her way over to Brooke’s side - the place she found most comfortable. 

Brooke’s arm looped right around her. “Hey, Mami,” she hummed and leaned down to peck her lips. 

“Imma steal you for a minute,” Vanessa took her hand and led her down the familiar trail, and they kept going until the generic pop music faded into the background. 

At this point, it was no surprise to Brooke that they were back at the lake. But they had never caught a sunset quite like the one they approached. The sky was a near perfect gradient of warm colors, as if it were a scene on a postcard. It was almost too perfect, too picturesque to be real. 

“I’m gonna miss this spot. Makes me want to get a cute little lake house, so we can have a view like this every day,” Brooke mused as she sat down. 

Vanessa joined her, laying on her back and looking up at the sky. “Thought we was taking it slow. You already thinking about playing house?” 

“What even _is_ taking it slow for us? Our relationship doesn’t exactly make the best linear narrative sense.” Brooke laid down and held her hand. “Besides, it never hurts to dream.” 

“Guess not.” She scooted closer, snuggling up to the taller girl’s side. “It is a real nice sight though. Like, I actually just wanna lay with you and enjoy it; we don’t even gotta fuck.” 

Brooke snorted softly. “You don’t have to justify just wanting to cuddle, you know.” 

“Yah-huh! I still got an image to uphold!” 

“Okay, okay.” She held her close and kissed her cheek. “It’s just between you, me, and the lake.”

### 

The next morning was pick-up day and Brooke Lynn was sat on a tree stump with Vanessa on her lap, their respective luggage on either side of it. The difference between their bags looked like a comically obvious representation of their different backgrounds – Brooke had a pristine designer set and Vanessa had a couple of beat up, hand-me-down duffel bags. It could have been the cover of a ‘princess and the pauper’ type of movie, easily. 

“Who’re you waiting for, again?” 

Brooke presses her lips into a fine line. She had hoped that maybe her parents would be the ones to come get her, just this once. “They’re sending a driver. His name’s Frank. Nice guy, worked for our family for like… fifteen years now.” As she spoke, she could see a Mercedes pull up and there was no guesswork needed as to whose ride it was. 

She got up and gathered her things, making her way over with Vanessa in tow. “You sure your mom’s okay with this?” 

“Uh-huh! Not every day you get a lift in a car that costs more than your apartment and all the fancy shit you got.” Vanessa chuckled, then offered a cheerful greeting when they approached the driver. 

Frank looked between the girls with a perplexed – and somewhat amused – expression. “And who’s this, Miss Brooke?” 

Brooke took Vanessa’s hand into her own, giving it a light squeeze. “This is Vanessa, my girlfriend. She’s going to spend the rest of the summer with us.” 

The man quirked his brow, but began loading both of their bags into the trunk. “And your parents are okay with this… arrangement?” He wasn’t one to question Brooke – she was a pretty easygoing client as far as they go, but it was still the grown Hytes that signed his paychecks. 

Brooke shrugged as she got in the car and ushered Vanessa (who was still floating on the high of hearing the word ‘girlfriend’) with her. “They’ll get over it.”


End file.
